


Transient Luminous Events

by Watercolor_Mudhorn



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebellion Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: Rebels, Star Wars: Rise of Empire Era - All Media Types, Star Wars: Thrawn Series - Timothy Zahn (2017)
Genre: Bisexuals in space!, Canon-Typical Violence, Casual conversations with Thrawn because we all want to have them, Chiss (Star Wars), Eli is the best, F/F, F/M, Force Lore & Mythology (Star Wars), Force Visions (Star Wars), Force-Sensitive Reader, Happy Ending, LGBTQ Character, Multi, Nerfs, Outer Rim Planets (Star Wars), Ozyly-esehembo (Star Wars), Planet Dantooine (Star Wars), Queer Relationship, Slow Burn, Some angst along the way, Storms, The Force, The Light Side of the Force (Star Wars), The Will of the Force (Star Wars), Trauma, Twi'leks (Star Wars), Zabraks (Star Wars), keeping this as close to canon as I can, no animals were harmed in the writing of this story, occasional smut, orbak, queer ranchers on Dantooine, set a few years before Batonn, this does have a tie-in to Rebels season 4
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-23
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 15:00:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 33,805
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28815294
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Watercolor_Mudhorn/pseuds/Watercolor_Mudhorn
Summary: More than a decade has passed since Order 66. You and your partner have made a life as simple ranchers on Dantooine. You thought you were safe, but a certain Admiral has been tasked with finding something thought lost all those years ago. Will you be able to navigate his Imperial scrutiny? Will Thrawn succeed where others have failed? Does the Force have a will of its own and would it kindly just tone it down a bit, please? You just want to live a peaceful life. Yeah, yeah, choices are important, but really you just want to herd nerfs and kiss your Jedi girlfriend.I have an outline and know where it is going, but it is a work in progress. There will be occasional smut where it fits in with the story (notes at the start of the chapters will indicate which ones have smut.) wlw to start, Thrawn/reader is a slow burn.
Relationships: Reader/Original Female Character - Relationship, Thrawn | Mitth'raw'nuruodo/Reader
Comments: 12
Kudos: 27





	1. Gust Front

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy.

You stood on your porch, leaning on the wooden railing, watching the storm march its way across the hills of Dantooine. Your hills, your land. The cool, humid wind flowed past, moving your hair, tugging your shirt. It felt wonderful. Distant flashes of lightning lit up the quickly darkening sky. Once the storm made its way to you, it would be like the sun had set, though it wouldn’t for another few hours. Thunder rumbled through, long, and rolling like the hills. The storm was still a bit of a ways off, but you knew it would make it to you within the hour, probably sooner.

You could feel her coming a few steps before Rel slid her arm into yours and leaned in close. Her Force blended with yours, bringing warmth and happiness. This was it. Right here. So few were afforded any kind of future and somehow you two had found each other and had ended up here. She'd say the Force had brought you together. You'd say your choices did. As always, it was a blend of the two. Your lips found her cheek and you could feel her smile, though she stayed looking out at the horizon, or what could be seen of it. 

“The season really has started, hasn’t it?” she asked, her voice soft, the last lilt of a Coruscanti accent still holding on. 

“Yess-um” you replied, putting a little more wild-space into it, just to get her to laugh, which she did, which warmed your insides, which led her to pull you into a kiss. Something soft and sweet with maybe the promise of more later. Oh who were you kidding, a quiet night, with a storm blowing through and most of the staff gone? The kiss deepened as she felt your intent. Finally she pulled away and you turned your face back to that wonderful wind. 

You both stood there a few more minutes, just enjoying the peace of it all, before Rel spoke again.

“The barns are all secure, the nerfs are as settled as they can be. Besh herd is far out; they should only get the side of it. Staff are all away, save Je’ors and Ketl, oh and Myra is staying to watch the springers.”

“First big storm? I bet a few will drop.” Most of the nerfs still on the ranch were a herd of females, almost all had calved before, but a few would be first time moms and sometimes they needed a little extra help. But, Myra was one of the best and she’d call if she needed anything. “The orbaks?”

“Nestled in, no access, only stalls tonight.”

You nodded, good. Let the first-years learn from their elders, storm’s might be intense, but they were safe in their barns. Outside of it though, lightning tended to fry anything that wasn't shielded. The Stormland Gulley certainly lived up to the name. It could be a struggle, but you were making it work. The Force certainly helped, you couldn’t deny that. You could feel the storms coming, and with Rel at your side, there wasn’t much the two of you couldn’t do. Still, some part of you took to this life something fierce. You took pride in what you’d built, pride in how far you’d both come. 

“Almost 15 years.” Rel spoke as if she’d been following your train of thought. The Force had brought you close in those years since the end of the Clone Wars. 

You leaned into her and she rested her head against yours. The pain was still there, in her, in you, it always would be. You were survivors. That shadow and death would exist as a solid demarcation of Before and After. Her fingers intertwined with yours. You certainly had made one hell of an After. But so had the Empire. The bureaucracy you could deal with. The puffed up Governors were far enough away you could let them go and some weren’t the worst, some. The growth of the military? What had anyone expected, turn the GAR into an Imperial Fleet. But what really got you- 

“Don’t” she said, reading the change in you brought on by your line of thought. You tried not to harden, not to shift back into who you had been. 

“It’s hard to fully live, when you had to focus everything on just surviving.” She squeezed your hand. 

“Hey!” A quick smile, a dip into the Force for speed, a pivot using the hand you already held and in the next moment you had her spun facing you and pinned against the railing. Her cheeks flushed in that perfect way and you leaned in. “I’m the older one, I’m supposed to have the words of wisdom.” You scrunched your face up readying to speak.

“Don’t you dare.”

“Fully live, it is hard, had to focus, you did, with everything to survive, you must.”

She both laughed and playfully fought against you. “That is NOT what he sounded like.” Her laughter and the residual smile lasted the longest it ever had when you mentioned someone from the Order. Progress. You both healed a little more every day. If you could just, if you could let- you sighed and put your head forward against hers. 

“I love you.” You reached out and she met you, arms wrapping around each other. The Force pulsed with life and Light and connection. 

“I love you too,” she replied, and you knew, beyond any doubt, that she did. 

\-------

The moment didn’t last long enough. It never lasted long enough. You picked up your comm a second before it beeped. “Go ahead.”

“Hey, something big came out of hyperspace a few minutes ago, just got an ID as a Star Destroyer,” Je’ors voice crackled into the space between you.

You were sure this same call was being made on ranches all across the region. You took a breath. "Not the first, won't be the last. What's it doing?" You did your best to sound neutral, though you'd had 'visitors' before. And while it hadn't been pleasant, they'd eventually left and you'd stayed safe. Myra was the only one who knew for sure that you and Rel were, different. If any of the other full-timers suspected, they'd never said anything. They hadn't turned you in either, so that was good in your book. You and Rel had made a life by not crossing that line, not with anyone, except Myra, who would have died if you hadn't used all you had. It was the biggest risk you'd taken, but she'd become a fiercely loyal worker, and a friend to boot. 

Je'ors voice brought you back to the present. “Well, it kicked out a shuttle, I'm tracking and it might be headed this way.”

“Let me know when vector confirmed.”

Rel's hand tightened around your arm. It was still too easy to slip back to that language. Je'ors was older, he'd served in the war. Neither Rel or you had, not officially, it's probably the reason you both were still alive. But you'd at least been at the periphery and appreciated the efficiency of a military mind, something Je’ors seemed to bring out in you.

There was a pause, “we’ll know in five if it is.”

“We’ll be right there.”

And like that the moment was done. Rel held on long enough to plant another kiss, but your thoughts were already turning to future possibilities. Thunder rumbled louder. The storm steadily made its way closer.


	2. Leading Edge

"Attention Imperial shuttle on descent, please confirm if your intention is to land at Blue Beam." You held your comm close, hoping for a negative reply.

A friendly voice with an even friendlier accent answered. "Yes ma'am, it is." It helped cut some of your anxiety, though it didn't change what they might be flying into.

"Then be advised we have a nasty storm moving in. You can land, but you'll be grounded for at least four to five hours while it moves through."

A pause. 

A new voice came over the comm, deeper, smoother, with the hint of an accent you couldn't place. 

"The storm will be that severe?"

"Yes sir, it will." Then you glanced at Rel. Why the kriff did you just call him ‘sir’? She was giving you the same look in return. All you could do was hold your hands out in the 'I don't know' gesture.

The voice came again. "That is acceptable."

You shook your head and your stubborn streak rose back to the surface. "Then get down here. And when you land, don't dilly dally, get your butts out of that shuttle and to the main building; red doors, can't miss 'em."

You thought you heard the barest of a chuckle from the first voice. "Yes Ma'am, will do, I mean," he corrected, "roger that."

"Alright, sending landing coordinates."

"Received. Eta 10 min."

You glanced at Rel. "It's gonna be close."

The black, ragged front line of the storm seemed to scrape the ground as it moved quickly towards the ranch. Thunder rumbled sharp, and you grumbled back at it. Yeah, yeah, rub it in, you thought, frustrated your time with Rel had been cut short. You glanced at the sky, but the clouds were already too thick to see more than a few hundred meters. What did the Empire want here? The land was serviceable for nerfs and not much else. If it wasn't storms in the spring, it was flash floods in the summer and frozen ponds, iced over fields in the winter. No grand deposits of minerals lurked beneath the surface, you would know, you triple checked for anything that might attract unwanted attention. And the old Jedi enclave was two continents and a hemisphere away. You'd been over this land a thousand times, it was plain, and boring, and only able to yield a gain by the work you, Rel, and your staff put into it.

You closed your eyes and concentrated, opening yourself to the Force, but carefully. You doubted the descending shuttle had an Inquisitor with them, but you wanted to be careful just in case. After a moment of the storm taking up a large presence of what was around you, you felt them quickly approaching. Five of them. A pilot, a copilot, two troopers and... another. He had to be the voice from before. He - you paused and a question you couldn't form hung just out of reach. 

Finally they broke the cloud line and dropped down towards the landing pad, the ramp starting to lower a moment before the landing gear even touched down. At least they were taking your advice. Four people exited and began walking quickly in your direction. Thank the Maker for the coming storm pushing you to action or you might have stopped to stare at the tall, exceptionally blue, ranking officer. 

You trotted to them, but had to wait for thunder to pass to talk. "Every-" _Kriff._ You bit back your words, catching yourself from telling them the fifth person had to come too, cause how would you know that. "Is this everyone? It's safer in the house. These storms can get pretty bad." As if to punctuate your point, a bolt shot overhead and was quickly followed by the crackling boom of a close strike. Everyone winced but you and Him. You met his red eyes for the first time. For a fraction of a second the world around you slowed, the Force reacting to the currents of flowing energy, shifting to adapt. Change. It could be good. It could be bad. But this man brought it with him. A drop of rain hit. Then another and time resumed. He had not taken his eyes off of you either. 

Finally he lifted his comm. "Secure the shuttle and come immediately, it may not be safe to stay aboard."

"Yes, sir" came a quick reply.

The group paused to wait, but you shook your head and pointed for the doors. "Go, I'll wait for them." 

It looked like He was going to say something to contest, but another bolt hit, closer this time. Heavy rain could be heard already falling on the far side of the compound. _For the love of the Maker get inside,_ you pleaded internally. A second later he turned and led the group to the doors. 

You approached the shuttle and just as the rain started to come down you saw the dark haired officer trotting down the ramp. You signaled for her to follow and she thankfully did so. Even with the short run to the overhang of the porch, the cold rain worked its way into your hair and the top layers of clothes. It was harder to see in her black uniform, but you knew she was going to be equally as uncomfortable. 

You reached for the double red doors, took a breath, and pulled both open in a dramatic flair. The storm cooperated and let out a bolt near enough to briefly illuminate the world behind you and throw you into shadow. The pilot slipped quickly in, but you kept a measured pace, letting the doors close on their own. 

Most of the other doors in the compound were the typical slide style, but one of the things you loved about this ranch were the large, hinged, wooden doors that greeted guests. It was an older style that helped give the place personality. 

"Welcome to Blue Beam Ranch," you said, motioning to the space around them. While the crimson doors were a statement, the construction inside continued to be just as bold. Rough hewn wooden beams of a deep indigo blue made up the roof support with all of the heavy rafters open and visible. Large wooden columns of the same color reached up from the floor to support the sprawling ceiling. The rustic nature of the architecture only seemed to accentuate the rich color. It had been polished, but otherwise there were no adornments or carvings, just the natural grain and knots in the wood itself. The rest of the furniture was also wood, but a golden honey color with shifting grains that seemed to shine all on their own. If the blue was cool, a shifting of the day to dusk on the ceiling, the flooring and the furniture were warm and inviting like a sunrise. The one pattern to the floor was the cut and flow of the blue wood winding through the golden, like a river through the grasses that covered the hills outside. 

This was another thing you loved about this place (there were many things you loved here); the main hall of the sprawling complex never failed to make you smile. It felt like the turning of the day, always full of possibility. 

You gave them a moment to get their bearings, though in truth you wanted time to study Him. Blue, it couldn't help but be what stood out, with eyes like- well it reminded you of something, but not something good and only something you'd seen at a distance. The color of a blade that had suffered. You felt the slightest admonition as if the Force was telling you that wasn't a fair comparison. _Fine._ You looked to his other features, the cut of his cheek, the thin line press of his lips, a posture that welcomed respect, but if needed could demand it. You grudgingly accepted some might find him handsome, then you moved on. Olive green uniform, which fit him well. On his chest a rank plate for an Admiral, if you remembered correctly. The Force moved about him in an organized way, influenced by his controlled nature and his intricately patterned mind, a mind not easily read, you noted. _Interesting._ Even his emotions were difficult to pick out.

Your gaze drifted to the other officer in green with him. Shorter, though still taller than you; skin, hair, and eyes all lovely shades of brown. He was clearly enjoying the architecture. The Force seemed to dance around him in a way you were already finding endearing. His mind was easy to read. Even just a slight brush caught the memory of rural gatherings, shared food, and the smell of an open wood fire. You couldn't help the smile that came to your face. Then you felt a pull. Gut instincts were always something more with the Force and you felt it nudge you to look back at Him. It seemed he was now taking the moment to study you as well. 

Let him look. 

You ran a hand through your hair, helping to put it back in place from the rain. You shook off your shirt, sending droplets flying. You checked your boots, making sure you weren't tracking in too much mud. (You weren't, the gravel outside hadn't turned to sludge, yet.) You were running out of ways to shamelessly preen when Rel finally arrived.

As she came in, she handed you a towel and also one to the pilot, who accepted it with a word of thanks. Rel took her place at your side and Je’ors stepped in from the staff entrance, arms crossed, blaster on his hip, just to make his presence known. You and Rel both had blasters too. They weren't what you'd prefer was hanging from your hip, but it would do in a pinch. 

You squared up and the group across from you reorganized with the Admiral taking lead. You sensed he was about to speak and got there ahead of him.

"So, what brings an Admiral of the Imperial Fleet, and company," you said, acknowledging the whole group "to my door?"

"My apologies for the intrusion, but there was a matter I hoped to discuss with the owner of this establishment about its surrounding land."

"I don't suppose I can get some names to go with those rank plates?" 

Rel gave you the slightest nudge, but you let your question stand.

"Of course." His voice came warm, a polite refusal to rise to your tone. "I am Admiral Thrawn. This is Commander Vanto and Flight Officer Rahdo. And my two troopers. We thank you for your time."

You glanced at Rel. _Fine, I'll play nice._ She gave your hand a supportive squeeze and you couldn't help but give in.

"Actually, aside from the storm, things are pretty quiet right now. The guest side of the ranch is closed for the next few months, due to, well," you pointed up as another crack of thunder hit close. It was more muted inside, a testament to how well this building had been built.

Then you caught yourself, "As for introductions, I assume you did your research, if you were coming all this way, so you've got my name, and Rel's. Though, if you need me, you can also call me 'Boss'." You winked at Commander Vanto and felt a small blip of amusement from him as he tried to steal a glance back at his commanding officer. You continued, pointing to the man behind you. "That back there is Je'ors. Ketl is farther in, keeping an eye on the storm. The only other person here is Myra, but we'll only see her if there's a problem with the nerfs, though maybe we can get her to join us for dinner."

"Which is in a couple of hours." Rel spoke up. "I'm not sure where you are in the schedule on your ship, but you would be welcome to join us. Je’ors has been smoking a nerf brisket since early this morning. We had been planning for it to last us a couple of days, but we have other stock to make up for it."

Literally every one from the shuttle looked to the Admiral. Apparently it wasn't far off from a meal for them. You subdued a chuckle, but only barely. 

"Oh," Rel let a real smile peek through in a way that could charm a dug flea off a kath hound. "We also have fresh jogan fruit pie. That's Je’ors specialty."

The Admiral's eyes flicked between you and Rel. Was he re-assessing the situation and the sway of Outer Rim hospitality on weary travellers? It was possible he could stick to the business at hand, but his crew? There was a saying for this, something about battleplans and the first engagement. His cheek twitched, jaw setting?

"If the storm does indeed keep us here for some time, and if we get through our discussion on the matter at hand, then that should be acceptable." 

A wave of anticipation came from both the Commander and Flight Officer as well as the two troopers, though their masks hid any smiles that might have brightened their faces. You did not fail to notice the slight challenge to your assessment of the storm. You didn’t rise to meet it, the storm would decide for itself. You'd watched the columns of white clouds building in the heat all day and had seen the front start to stall as its cooler winds collided with the warm remnants of a sea breeze. Thunder continued to rumble above. If the Admiral wanted to leave sooner, he could take it up with the storm. 

"Well then, what is it you wanted to discuss?"

"You are aware that there was a battle on this planet during the Clone Wars?"

"Yes, I am." The smallest bit of concern began to trickle in. Rel stiffened slightly at your side. They already knew what you had and had let it stand for over 12 years. Did they want it back, now?

"And that conflict took place not far from here, partially over the land you now own?"

Again, another uptick in Rel’s nervousness. You sent a small bit of soothing to her. It would be fine. You’d faced Imperial scrutiny before.

"Yes. And I know whatever crashed was salvaged first by the Republic, then by the Empire, and again by just about any other scavenging group in the sector. I do occasionally have to pick slivers out of hooves, but they're never over 6cm in length. Ain't nothing of worth left here, but what we can grow and coax." 

"Records do indicate that the clean-up was thorough. Though recently discovered information shows something should have been recovered in that time, but it was not."

"What remains lost?" Rel spoke up, her voice even, controlled. 

"Unfortunately, I cannot provide exact details. Though the item would be contained in a box or container roughly 18cm by 18cm."

You shifted. "'Cannot' because you don't have the details or you are not allowed to give that information.” What were they looking for?

"The latter."

"So, you'll know it when you see it."

He nodded. 

You held your hands out to estimate the size of the container and then shook your head. "We've got over 100,000 hectares out there. I don't suppose that box is made of some special kind of material you can track or you have a way to narrow down the area?" 

"What's within the box has a rarer metal and I have a specifically calibrated scanner that should be able to detect at greater depths than any previous salvage attempts. As to the possible location-"

The Commander took that as his cue and pulled out a datapad. He began to call up the information, clearly intent on going over the details on the small screen. 

"Hold on a second. How long do you have to find this thing?" You addressed the Admiral. 

"It has been assigned to me as a priority. I will give it the time it needs."

Well, there went the quiet season. 

You looked back to the Commander. "You got that information on a datastick?"

"Yes ma'am I do."

You turned to Rel, your question apparent but unspoken between the two of you. She shook her head ‘no.’

“Please,” you said, your voice turning sweet. “It’ll make this a lot easier to plan. Besides,” you took one of her hands, holding it in yours. “They know we have it and you worked your butt off to get it running and properly permitted. This’ll be one of the few chances you have to show it off.” You leaned in conspiratorially, though the group could definitely still hear your slightly sing-songy words,“and to an Admiral, no less.”

Rel just stared at you with a look of frustration that usually meant she was about to give in. Then you felt a shift and watched her cross her arms. You didn’t even need the Force to tell you of the turn that was coming. “Fine, but I get to lead them in and I get to coordinate the planning once we are there, it is MY bridge afterall.”

Maker, you loved this woman. It was your turn to dig in your heels, but you couldn't keep it. After a moment, you graciously yielded, making a sweeping motion for her to take the lead. As she passed by you leaned in, stalling her movement. “You will pay for that later.”

“Oh, I’m counting on it.” 

The shiver that ran to your core left you slightly breathless. A flush hit your cheeks and all you could do was smile. Smile while she waltzed past. Smile while the damn Admiral did as well, you did not meet his eyes. Smile while the Commander walked past, his eyes you darted to meet and just shook your head at the light you saw in there. The Flight Officer either hadn’t quite picked up on the moment or was taking a stance of true neutrality. The two troopers stalled by you, but you just waved them on. “Go on, the more the merrier.”

You walked down the fairly drab corridor, at least compared to the hall you’d just left. After a while of passing offshoot hallways to a kitchen and then doors to other parts of the ranch, the flooring and walls shifted into metal. Deck plating echoed underfoot and, from behind you could see the shift in recognition from your guests.

Rel spoke up as she sensed the questions coming. “You are quite correct Admiral, there was a battle here on Dantooine. From everything I've read, it was severe, losses of ships on both sides. Most of those ships were salvaged, the few that were damaged beyond repair were fully gutted. Once the Empire was done, the scavengers came for whatever was left, but,” her Coruscanti accent had picked back up, like it always did when she got excited, “they did not get everything. One of the GARs ASVs hit hard not far from here. The men limped out, but it was never going to fly again. Due to its smaller size and condition, it must have been a lower priority salvage, and by the time the Empire got to it, a particularly intense winter had frozen over and when they came back to try again in the spring, well, their timing was as good as yours. Apparently no one wanted to be clamoring over a metal vessel, working cranes and heavy lifters, in the middle of angry thunderstorms. Something else must have taken priority and they moved on.”

She came to a stop at a metal door and paused for effect. “Now, I do not have the time to tell you about the man who owned this land before we came here, but just know he was ‘meaner than a huurton with a prickler in its paw.’ Once the Empire relinquished its claim, he stepped in and defended it from anyone who dared place a foot near it. He even made it the center of the corral for his most ornery bull nerfs.”

“And thankful we are for that,” you chimed in on cue. Maybe you two had been able to show this section of the ranch off a few times before.

“Yes, quite so.” Rel keyed the door panel and it slid open to reveal a large roughly circular room of what had once been the bridge of the auxiliary support vehicle. It hadn't been a large ship, not by navy standards, and the crash had removed at least a portion of the wall that had to be rebuilt, but it was a respectable space that fit the entire group comfortably. 

Different terminals and display screens lined the walls. Ketl sat at one on the far side, his display a visual of the storm- it’s movements, wind speeds, temperatures, internal pressures, cloud rotations, and rainfall. On another side were a series of monitors tied to security feeds from all over the ranch. 

In the center of the room was a large holoboard. Rel placed her hands gingerly on the curved metal edge. “This took me the longest to piece back together. Thank the Maker the core somehow survived without damage, but the relays, the micro projectors-”

“The scanner assembly?” Commander Vanto stepped up, looking it over. 

“You mean the welded monstrosity made from six different ones?” She chuckled and lifted up a panel to show it. 

“Wow. And you adapted it for a broader horizontal display?” He began to walk around it. 

“Yes, I did.” A few taps of the activation panel and the blue 3D image in the center came to life, showing the layout of the ranch. “These are the buildings that make up Blue Beam Ranch. We are here.” A small arrow popped up to indicate an enclosed section pretty much in the heart of the buildings. “This building is well insulated so that any stray lightning strikes don’t reach the delicate electronics in here. Back the way we came is the main guest house, lodging, dining hall, etc. There’s a gym and a pool and whatever else someone might want while visiting.” A turn of a nob and the image shifted in size, showing the larger corrals and barns. “We have our springers in here for the night.” A few of the faces showed confusion. “Pregnant nerfs due soon. We keep a year-round herd, but it's not what we use most of the land for. Our largest barn is currently empty, we won’t get the select-meat nerfs in until after the storm season.”

“To the left over here are our orbaks,” Rel looked around again, still failing to see recognition. “Riding mounts- quadrupeds, warmblooded, herbivores. They are what we use if we’re not using the speeders. And what we use for trail rides and such with the guests.”

“Over here we have our equipment barn, with a mechanic shop and vehicle storage. On the other side of the barns we have grain and hay storage, our baler, a small medical facility that we can walk a nerf through, if needed, and -” she paused, a tad bit of bashfulness leaking through, “You probably needn’t know all of that. It is, well, this is our life,” she motioned to the display, then looked back at you. “We’ve put everything we have into this and-”

“It shows.” Commander Vanto looked between the two of you, but let his gaze settle on Rel “The main hall, this-” he motioned to the room, "the way you have it all laid out. I promise you, it shows. And we’ll do everything to stay out of your way and get this done as quickly as possible.” 

Motion shifted next to you and you realized the Admiral had come to stand beside where you were leaning against the wall. It took every bit of control to not react to the fact that you had failed to notice his approach. How in the great Maker above had he done that? You knew where everyone in the room was, correction, you knew where everyone on the ranch was. You gave a small tug at the Force just to make sure it was still there. Yup. Still there. Quiet like normal. Quiet like on nights when Imperial officers haven’t arrived at your door unexpectedly. You were just about to start a combative argument with an intangible essence when he spoke.

“This is impressive.”

Your fingers came up to tug at the tip of an imaginary hat. “Thank you. Hasn’t been easy.”

“I imagine not.”

You finally took a moment to look up at him, meet his eyes again. You held them for a moment and he did not look away. “You’re just here for this, thing, whatever it is? And will leave when you are done?” 

“Yes, it is the only reason we are here.” 

You held onto that phrase for a second, mulling it over. 

“What if you don’t find it? That-”

“-is a possibility, I know. We will look as long as we are able. Other events may arise that require my attention, or time may prolong to the point where use of resources must be reassessed. It is,” he paused, deciding on his words, “an endeavor with a wider array of variables than I am accustomed.” 

“How high up did this order come from?”

To that he was silent, but that was all the answer you needed. From the top, or near enough. Still his eyes lingered on yours and you felt like there was something more he wanted to say. A few moments passed, you waited, and then he returned his attention to the center of the room. 

Reluctantly, you did as well. Rel had brought up a projection of your entire ranch, not just the central complex but the surrounding fields as well. The image of the buildings grew smaller and smaller as it adjusted to the true enormity of the land you and Rel owned. It wasn't the largest ranch on Dantooine, not by a long shot, but it was respectable enough to earn you a seat at the table for the Nerf Council meetings, well, maybe not AT the table, but you were in the room. It was a tight community and you and Rel had worked over a decade to get there.

The Admiral stepped up to the holotable and you took a place next to him. Though, as promised, you let Rel hold the floor. 

"This is the entirety of Blue Beam." 

The Commander let out a whistle in appreciation of the size and then caught himself in the overly casual sound, looking to the Admiral. But he did not seem to mind, or at least his face didn't change and he made no move to correct. 

"It is expansive," he agreed.

"Did you have specific areas you wanted to look at first?" Rel turned to the Commander.

"Oh, yes," he fished a datastick out of his pocket and started to hand it to her, but paused. "One thing first." He plugged it into his datapad and typed for a moment or two. Then he pulled the stick and gave it to her. "Now it only has the logistics data of our mission, and should sync well with the formatting for the table." 

She took it and was about to insert it when she paused. “Commander Vanto, did you almost hand over a device containing classified information to a civilian?”

You could feel him ready a response and by the flow of emotions in him, it was going to be a playful one. By the look on Rel’s face, she was reading that off him as well. Then, he simply said, “No ma’am. Please continue.” 

Rel hesitated for the briefest of moments before uploading the data and bringing it up on the display. She stood a little straighter, kept her movements more precise, and you could feel the bit of mirth beginning to ebb in her. What had happened? What was he going to say? Something he did not feel was appropriate? _Curious._

On the broadest map projection a new image began to overlay on the original - ghost images of a few large ships embedded into the ground. Their extensive debris trails spread across the western portion of the land. 

Commander Vanto continued. “We believe it to have been on this ship, a Venator. You can see from the display that it was already breaking up and in an uncontrolled descent. Once it impacted, this would have been the surrounding debris field.” 

“That’s a big area, but not too bad,” you said, starting to assess.

“And if that’s what we had out there today, I’d agree with you. However. Here is the roughly estimated disturbance radius of the first Republic salvage effort.” The debris field widened. “And here is the effect of the Empire’s salvage crews. While they might not have gotten to your ASV, they most certainly put in the effort for this ship.” The scatter radius expanded by kilometers. “And this is not accounting for weather or other climatic events since that time.”

You looked to Rel, who had shaken off the slight rebuff from before and was back to focused on the task at hand. “Can you get the flood histories from-”

“I’m already on it,” she said, trotting over to Ketl, whom she politely shushed out of the way. The young Zabraki man just pushed back, hands up, letting her into the space. He knew how she was when she was hunting something down. He had been a big help getting this room together, even being just sixteen at the time. In the twelve years since, he’d grown into a respectable ranch hand and an excellent storm chaser. You still weren’t sure he had fully chosen this life, but if he stuck around, you might throw a few more responsibilities at him. 

The Admiral stood looking over the map, one arm across his chest, supporting the other that ended with a hand at his chin. One finger stroked along the line of it. You almost wanted to describe the motion as absentminded, but you weren't sure that descriptor would ever fit him. 

After another moment Rel returned and new layers began to build on top of the already busy image. She continued, “We’ve had several years of bad floods, especially in that region. So, with the intensity of rain, overflow of nearby rivers, depth of the washouts (which we used excavators to fix several times)... something the size of the item you're seeking could have been moved this much farther out.” The shaded area expanded to cover almost one third of the land. 

“Kriff,” you said, to which no one disagreed. You turned to the Admiral and spoke without really thinking about it first. “Either your crew has to be really good, or you’ll have to get really lucky.” 

He did not seem disturbed, and simply leaned forward, continuing to study the image. “You can most certainly count on the former, so we should not need the latter.” Then he glanced at you. “Though, we will endeavor to be ready, should favorable opportunities arise.”

You kept his gaze a moment, uncertain if there was a deeper subtext to his words. For some reason it made you smile. He continued to be calm and almost unreadable. Again, you felt like he was waiting, or had something more to say. But nothing came.

He turned his attention back to Commander Vanto. "Based on preliminary tests, how much land can we cover in one day?”

“How long is that day?” 

“Give me options.”

Commander Vanto worked on his datapad. Then he stepped closer to Rel and the table controls. "May I?" 

You could feel her want to give a playful response, but like him, she held back and simply nodded, stepping aside, though still close enough that he had to stand in her personal space. She hadn't given up. _Good._ You were happy to encourage anything that made her smile. 

The section of the map began to glow brighter as he ran through calculations. The Admiral watched intently and you tried to follow. It was at least clear he was breaking the land down into portions that varied in size based on what they could cover in a day. Finally Commander Vanto straightened. 

"So, based on the max speed we can move and still maintain a 90% effectiveness of the scanner, including how wide a section we can cover with one straight-line pass, for an 8hr day, it will take approximately 50 days to complete. For a 10 hr day, it will take 40 days and for 12 hrs, a little over 30 days. I wouldn't push past 12 hrs as we haven't tested the scanner beyond that length of time and it's the only one we've got."

You felt a small push from Rel, that she wanted you to talk them through the next bit. You returned a dower look, though with no real frustration behind it. _Oh sure, make me give them the bad news._

"It could be worse," the Admiral spoke, "we could be finished by-"

"Before you move forward, there is more to consider."

They looked to you. _Here we go._ "I'll assume you came to us first not just out of a friendly sense of asking permission to go on our land, but also out of a hope for our insight into said land?"

"Yes, please." The Admiral more fully turned to face you. 

"Unfortunately that storm you flew into is not a one-off. It's turning spring here and, as we said, there's a reason we don't have guests here nor the big herds. Ketl?" 

"Yeah Boss?" came his quick reply. 

“Send the storm to the table.”

You gave a nod to Rel, who added another layer to the holoboard. This showed the current storm as it slowly marched over the land. "This time of year cold weather from the north comes down and hits the incoming sea breeze and we get these massive thunderstorms through this whole region. It is one of the reasons this land is difficult to manage. The lightning is the omnipresent threat, and it will kill you.” You paused to punctuate your words. “But these storms also throw off spinners, funnel clouds that can be over a kilometer wide with winds strong enough to tear most buildings apart. We've got underground shelters in a few places on the ranch in case it's needed. These storms start up about three to four pm, and can churn for five to six hours, or more. Strike range on a big storm is over 20km, which puts a big no-go zone around them. Of course," you held your hands up, "all I can offer are recommendations and if you choose to disregard them, none of my staff will be out there with you."

The Admiral seemed to take the information in and think over it.

"And if we follow your recommendations?"

You stared a moment. He was just so damn hard to read. 

In your silence, he continued, "while I hope to complete this in as short a time as possible, your concerns are valid, and safety is the top priority. If we had your full support, how do we best navigate around the storms and make the most out of each day?"

"Ah, yes." _'your full support'_ What did that mean and were you willing to give it? His words were at least respectful, which was appreciated. You relaxed just a little, curious where this all was going to lead. "Well, I'm assuming you plan to use speeders, and that'll work, the land is flat enough. But we've found that the movement of the metal over the grasses at speed builds up a charge, even with speeder bikes. Normally, not a problem. But with a storm in the area, changing the flow of ions around them is a magnet for strikes. We know, from experience." You paused at the slight hitch in your voice. It was one of the first and most deadly mistakes you ever made at Blue Beam. "However, there is another option if you needed to press on or had to move about with the storms building. If we keep the closer to home sections for the storming days, we might be able to use the orbaks." This brought a little smile to your face. "Depending on how portable your device is and if any of y'all know how to ride."

Commander Vanto was the only one with even a hint of familiarity there. Well, that could be worked on. You continued.

“All in all, you can expect storms at least 80-90% of the time, mostly afternoon through the evening. Depending on when they build and roll in, we can do our best to work around them. If they blow themselves out in the night, and you don’t need daylight to run the scanner, could always start before sun-up. Might be some odd shift work and I’d recommend rotating crews so that anyone going out with us is well rested. One thing I’ve learned, it doesn't matter how fancy your equipment or how modified your ride, lack of sleep will steal your success any day of the week.” 

You paused to think through a few more things. “You can use the landing pad at the guest house to come and go all you like, we have our own in the back and by the barns. If you don’t want to be shuttling between ship and ground, you are welcome to use the guest lodging and facilities. I can power up a few droids and bring back a few more staff for food prep and cleaning, but I might ask for a small bit of compensation for that. Don’t worry, I wouldn’t charge you high season rates,” you flashed a smile, “I doubt you could afford them, but anything would be appreciated.”

You paused, almost finished. “Oh, one more thing. If what you’re doing is supposed to be secret or ‘classified’, we do have more staff around in the mornings for cleaning and husbandry work with the nerfs and orbaks, as well as general maintenance and repair. They’re usually gone by midday, on account of the storms, so they can get back home, but just something to keep in mind.” 

You looked to Rel, to see if you missed anything, but she was just watching you in a way that warmed your insides. You could feel her support and Light reach out to you and you met that connection with your own. It was the briefest of moments, but you turned to the Admiral with a genuine smile and a sense of happiness. Something about that seemed to give him pause, but he cleared his throat, readying to speak. 

“That is generous and appreciated. We will of course compensate you for any resources we use. If you have previous years weather data, we could use that to begin mapping out a rough schedule, one that can be adapted as needed.”

You turned to Ketl, but he already had a hand in the air, his attention on the terminal “working on it.” 

“As Commander Vanto continues, would you, and Miss Devora,” he added, giving a nod to Rel, “please add in any necessary steps, information, or skills we might need to learn. I can review my staff and see who might have matching abilities. I would like to have something tangible to take back with me so as to brief the other commanding officers.”

You both nodded and the five of you, plus Ketl at times, got to work. The Flight Officer was able to give more insight into the speeders and their use over different terrain, though it was clear to you she wasn’t getting anywhere near your orbaks. 30 minutes in, Je’ors came in and brought a tray of drinks- water, fruit juices, caf. His focus lingered on you a moment and you gave him a nod that all was well. You were grateful. He had good eyes and an even better gut, you’d review the night with him later. 

Then you returned your attention to the group. The back and forth discussion lasted over two hours, but by the end of it, you had a pretty solid plan. 

You could tell the Admiral wanted to get back to his ship, so you glanced over at Ketl’s display.

“Well, I’ll be damned.” You gave a nod to the Admiral to look at the storm’s movement. “You’ve got yourself a 20 min window, if you want it.” You saw him relax just a little, relieved.

“Then we shall take it.”

He looked to his crew, who all straightened and prepared to follow. Both the Commander and Flight Officer gave a slight sigh in frustration once the Admiral turned to leave. Rel, of course, picked up on it.

“Oh, I'll meet you at the doors," she said and then trotted out of the room. 

You led the group back along the passageway back to the blue hall. Rel came in by a side door, a rectangular container in her hand. 

"Since you will be missing dinner this time, I can at least send you with pie." She handed it to Commander Vanto.

A genuine smile spread across his face. “That is very kind of you, thank you.”

Rel reached out and gave a little squeeze of his arm as he took the container, to which he blushed slightly, but continued on after the Admiral.

You watched the doors close and found you were a little sad to see them go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so it begins.  
> Thank you for reading!


	3. Inflow

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is a teensy bit of smut in this chapter.

“What do you think it is?” Rel asked as she leaned against you in your shared bed. You’d eaten, showered, checked in with Je’ors, Ketl, and Myra and finally turned in for the night. Distant thunder still rumbled through, but it was abating, finally. 

Rel’s head and back pressed against your chest and you had your arm draped over her, trailing lazy circles with your fingers. 

“I’m not sure. I don’t-” you let the words trail off.

“-yeah, the Force is hazy about it. You think the Inquisitors were looking for it a few years ago? They touched down a few times on our land, and Nim’s.”

“If they were, they must not have found it. Though, if _they_ were looking for something-”

“Yeah. Could still be trouble.”

“But why send non-Force sensitives? What metal is this thing made out of?”

“That’s a lie.”

“What?”

She turned to look at you. “It was practiced, a necessary discretion meant to obfuscate. But I felt Commander Vanto’s reaction. He doesn’t like the lie. Whatever that sensor can track, it’s not metal. It’s...something else. I didn’t want to press too far on our first meeting.”

“Is that why you were being playful?” you asked, taking her face in your hands. Her cheeks were warm. “You don’t have to-”

“No,” she said, putting her hands over yours. “No,” the word had more finality. “He just seems really nice, and earnest, and it’s nice to see people smile.”

“‘People’, huh?”

Her cheeks reddened a little. She warmed in the Force and you pulled her into a kiss. It started off slow and sweet. Thunder rumbled, the storm not quite done, and your arms reached down, pulling her closer against you. Heat began to build. She turned to fully straddle you, the weight of her lower body on your thighs. Your hands began to wander, tracing up her spine, under her sleep shirt. A bolt of lightning flashed outside the window, thunder coming louder, closer than the last. Your arms tightened around her, your kiss deepening, tongues slipping beyond the lips. The storm echoed through your consciousness, the electricity of it moving beneath your skin. In your mind's eye you could see it flowing over the land, full of power, built up energy released in white, searing flashes of heat, so severe the sound of it rumbled and tumbled to the edge of the world. 

Rel breathed heavy and warm. Your hand worked its way up to play in her hair and then grip it, tight. She gasped, letting her head drift back. You took the opportunity to kiss her jaw, her neck, her collarbone. You tugged and she leaned further back. Her shirt offered little resistance as you pulled it up, your lips finding one of her nipples. Her body tensed with a shortened breath, desire rolling off of her. 

Your eyes flicked to the window as another bolt hit close and there, not far off, stood a figure cast in shadow by the light striking behind it. You stilled, your heartbeat suddenly picking up. Red eyes opened to look at you. 

“Rel.”

“What is it?” she asked, her body stiffening, coming back to her control as she felt your abrupt change. “What is it?” she asked again, worry creeping into her voice.

Without the flashes, all was dark outside the window. You couldn’t see him and you held your breath. 

She took your face in her hands, forcing you to look at her. “Talk to me.”

“Do,” your voice caught, mouth suddenly dry, “do you sense anyone? Is there anyone out there?” you nodded towards the window. 

She closed her eyes and concentrated. The Force came to her, warm and full of Light. Seconds ticked away. Finally another flash of lightning, but this time no one was there. You could feel her reaching out, but you hesitated to do so as well, was it fear? That’s what broke the spell, that small trickle of fear that got you breathing again. No way in hell would you let it rule your actions. Forcing yourself to close your eyes, you centered on her Force and also reached out. Your own Light spread, moving over the land, fine tuning. You could feel lavi mice and jumper crickets. Your three staff were still on the ranch. The nerfs were a little restless and the orbaks were just starting to bed down for the night. A pack of huurton hunted at the periphery of what you could sense, but that was it.

Rel took a breath and settled back down on you. 

“What did you see?” 

A heavy sigh moved through you and you didn’t answer. She reached for your face again, pressing a palm gently against your cheek. “It was him wasn’t it, the Admiral.”

“Thrawn,” you said his name for the first time. The storm answered, another flash, and he was there again, maybe 20 meters out, dressed all in black, a uniform style you didn’t recognize. When the light faded, he was gone again. 

You brought your head in to rest it against her chest. “Maker be damned.”

“You’re going to have a vision.”

You nodded. Pain tightened around your heart. Why did they always have to start with that night? Even if you went to his holocron first, sought out the vision on your own, you still had to see him bleeding out, hear his last words to you. 

“Maybe it will give us some answers.”

A dry chuckle came from you. You both knew that was not how the Force worked. 

“At least,” she gently pulled your head up to look at her, to meet her eyes, kindness and care swimming in them, “we know this is important. I will be here for you when the vision ends and we can figure it out, together.”

You nodded, so thankful this woman was in your life. “Together.” 

“Come on,” she pulled back, moving off of you. “While the storm is still near. I’ll make tea and light the incense and you get his holocron and prepare.”

Your living quarters were on the far side of the ranch from the guest house, nestled between the orbak barns and the staff offices. You also had a straight shot to the "bridge." Your and Rel's section wasn't large, two bedrooms, a kitchen, a living room, an office and of course a 'fresher. The only extra space you'd added on was a larger, open room with a higher ceiling and mats that could be laid out for sparring. There were an assortment of training weapons on racks along the walls. You used them more than Rel, but she did practice there from time to time. It also had a meditation space, a small, square room where you stored the few holocrons you both owned and your lightsabers. Even there, in one of the most secure rooms on the ranch, you still kept those particular items hidden away in drop shelves that required the Force to open. You both knew, to possess those items was a death sentence, or worse.

Your feet took you there as you tried to let go of the dread that wanted to build in you. You had visions all your life, though when they did come, they were veiled and full of abstractions. The most intense one had come about a week before _That_ day, before the end of the Clone Wars. It had left you with a deep sense of horror, but had failed to give you the understanding to articulate it. You’d talked with him about it, your boss, your teacher, your friend. But neither of you had been able to figure out what it meant and you always felt the sharp bite of regret, wondering what could have happened if you had. 

Your feet stepped onto the wooden floor of the sparring room and took you to the small door at the far side. It slid open. The smell of the incense hit you, already lit by Rel, and that familiar pressure began to build in the back of your mind. The Force had something to show you, and it would, whether you wanted it to or not. You reached a hand to open the cabinets, to pull out a candle to use as a focus. You chose one that was red. You reached a hand further in and to the back. With a small push of the Force, a door slid open and you retrieved your lightsaber and his Holocron. Both sat heavy and cold in your hands. 

The kyber crystal in your lightsaber sang a sweet greeting and you remembered just how much you enjoyed feeling it close to you. The crystal at the heart of his holocron whispered a different melody. After 15 years of study, you'd mastered most of his teachings. But there was still some wild element to the crystal in the center of the blue and gold cube. A part of you secretly hoped that he was still somehow connected to it, though you knew that to be a childish hope. Rel was probably right, it was just an old, temperamental crystal that sometimes liked to plug into the fullness of the Force in random events, like storms building and fading. Or, maybe the will of the Force still held some sway, even way out in the Outer Rim. You let that mix of emotions flow through, feeling each, but not reaching to hold onto any one in particular. 

“Lu Daris” you said his name, your teacher. He had been trained by a Jedi, or so you thought. He could do all the things they could do. And he used the Light, like you did. You just assumed he hadn't wanted to be a Jedi, like you. You couldn't have been the only person who said no when a very nice, but very stuffy lady in puffy robes came to your family home. You would have had to leave and you loved your mom and your dad, so you very politely told the lady "no thank you." You’d found "Teacher Daris" later, when he’d been a guest instructor for a martial arts class. Once you’d sensed he was different, you pretty much demanded he train you. Because maybe there were paths in the Force other than a massive and imposing monastic order. There were plenty of Jedi and plenty to shine openly for the Light, let them have their pride, pomp, and circumstance. You kept your eyes down, your Force your own, and you were just a student, then an assistant, then a pilot.

Where Rel had been trained in delving into the intricacies of the Force and the mysticism of the Light, you sought to discover other aspects of it, more primal ones. You attributed that to why you could always feel the storms building, and, if you concentrated enough, to feel the alignment of energy before it was released. Also, your fighting style was a little less elegant, but definitely effective, especially in the Outer Rim. Lu had given you the space to be who and what you wanted to be. He had trusted you and so you'd trusted him.

And there were benefits to being able to move about unhindered by the title of Jedi. There were far fewer expectations, you never stood out in a crowd, and you could appreciate things that were a little less civilized. Though your teacher did not always get the friendliest of looks on the occasions you visited the Temple, as you did provide them with information, from time to time. A life apart also happened to provide you with a through-line history within the Republic and then the Empire. You had no need to hide when the Jedi fell, and that, in turn, is what allowed you to save Rel. 

She stepped back into the room as if summoned by your thoughts. She handed you the warm cup of tea, full of spice, bright and biting. It helped to clear your mind. Her warm lips met your forehead in a soft kiss. “Good luck, I’ll be here when you’re done,” she said and then stepped from the room, closing the door behind her. 

A silence settled in, the thunder from the storm only a distant rumble, barely perceptible. The tea was hot and stung as it slipped down your throat. Its taste mingled with the smell of the incense and already your mind was starting to drift, to get hazy. You placed the holocron on the low table in front of you and set the candle beside it. Your lightsaber you kept close, a grounding rod, keeping you from floating away. With your palm above the candle, you brought your fingers together and then pulled up, drawing energy through it. The wick caught and settled into a small flame. 

A heavy breath moved through you. It was time. 

You crossed your legs and settled into an upright position, spine straight, head neutral. Your eyes drifted to the flame. It flickered lazily, moved only by the air movement caused by your breath. Beside it the holocron began to glow a soft blue. The smell of the incense increased. The light in the room dimmed until all you could see was the flame. Then, it too, went out.

You stumbled into the mid-level apartment, having rushed the code to unlock the door. It was the third quiet house you’d checked. Where was he? What was happening? Then you saw the blood. Small drops leading into the main room. You paused. A Jedi had fallen against a chair, not able to fully reach it. Blaster marks marred their clothes. Blood had begun to pool beneath them from injuries you couldn't’ see, too much blood. And then you focused on their face, his face. Your teacher. Your friend. 

You rushed to his side, trying to wrap your arms around him. "You have to get up. I'll find a healer." 

"No,” he pushed you back, the action causing him pain. “I have to stay here. They have to find my body. They have to think this ended with me.”

“No!” Your hands grabbed onto his robes. “Please. We can hide. Whatever it is, we can get through this.”

He reached a hand to cup your chin and you stilled. “You were right,” he said. “We didn’t know. We couldn’t see.” He refocused on you and smiled, "you were one of my best students. I am so proud of you.” 

Tears built in your eyes as a few leaked out of his, down his cheek. 

“No, please,” you pleaded, but with less fight than before. 

He merely continued. “You have to go, live your life.” He looked into your eyes as if he could see through you. “The Light will always be there for you, even in shadow, it can never truly go out. A great darkness is here. It-" he shook his head. "All you have to do to defy it, is survive. Go, please. You can still help others. Take my bag. There is a holocron with my teachings. I will never be far from you. ‘There is no Death, there is the Force,’” he recited the last line of the Jedi code, then added. “In all its splendor and glory, there is the Force. It will always be with you.” 

And you could feel him fading. Breaths became ragged. He fought against it. “They are coming, you must go.”

You touched your forehead to his, tears coming freely. “Thank you, for so much.” 

“I would do it all,” his breath hitched, “again, a hundred times. Go.”

All you could do was nod, grab his bag, and run to the door. There you stopped, feeling the momentum of the vision trying to pull you on. But you fought it, remembering why you were there. Tearing at the narrative, you stepped out of the memory. You walked a few steps towards him and when you looked back, you were still at the door. Then the other you left, to run on, to hide, to find Rel, to heal and to keep moving forward. 

You walked back to him and sat down. With a grunt you pulled him against you, wrapping your arms around him. Blood began to soak into your clothes and you didn’t care. His breath was shallow, but he fought for more. “I thought I told you to go.”

“I did,” you said to him. “I ran and I hid. I found another.”

“Vrahli?” 

You nodded, “Her name’s Rel now. How did you-” 

“You’re not the only one with visions. Plus, I saw the way you looked at each other when your paths crossed.”

You chuckled. “So, fate then?”

“That's only ever part of it. You have a life, together?”

“Yes.”

He sighed, his Force beginning to fade. “Good."

You looked over his robes. They seemed so foreign to who he was. "Why didn’t you tell me?" 

"You didn’t want to be a Jedi. I wanted to honor that."

"Who were you, really?"

He coughed, it came a wet, sickly sound. “That, I think, is a story for another time.”

You pulled him a little closer, not wanting to let him go. “I don’t think there are other times.”

The barest chuckle escaped him. “There is still much for you,” a pause, “to learn.”

“Don’t you go sounding like a Jedi on me now.” A tear made its way down your cheek. 

He patted your arm. "Thank you for,” he fought for breath, “thank you for staying, for being here.” More time came in between words. “You are finally starting to-” There was barely anything left of the man in your arms, “-to understand. You are so much stronger-” a breath. “You must trust in yourself and in her.” Another breath. “The storms are your...”

He stilled. The Force calmed. He faded from your grasp, leaving you alone in the room, which also faded from view. 

You awoke in the small meditation room. The candle still burned, the holocron still glowed softly. That wasn't what you'd expected. But you just sat there a moment, tear line still on your cheek. Maybe that had been some part of him. Or maybe what he said was what you'd wanted to hear.

You stretched and stood. The door slid open as you walked out, but Rel wasn’t there. You checked your rooms, but she wasn’t there either. You worked your way through the ranch. The bridge was quiet, powered down for the night. Going by the time on the stand-by display, you’d been meditating for several hours. 

Your steps took you further on, towards the guest entrance and its grand room. The blue wood greeted you, a bright and vibrant cobalt. You approached one of the columns, running a finger over the carvings there - great ships flying through the stars, some you recognized, some you didn’t. They wound up the wood and to the ceiling. They battled each other in the rafters, but you couldn’t quite make it all out.

You stepped further in and realized you weren’t alone. He was standing near one of the walls, appreciating the scene inlaid into wood there. You approached. 

“Admiral.”

He gave a hum of greeting and turned partially to face you. 

“I thought you had returned to your ship?”

“I did. But I found I wished to further study what was here.” 

You looked at the scene on the wall. You and Rel on orbaks, racing through the grasses that covered the surrounding hills. Storms built in the distance, but the blue sky wasn’t completely covered. You looked closer and stilled. Rel was in Jedi robes and you both had your lightsabers in hand, and ignited. _Why was that on there!_

“The carving work is impeccable. The precision of how each piece of wood has been selected, shaped, and fit together so that it makes a smooth and continuous whole, suggests a mastery in the craft. One can almost see the grass move in the shine of the grain when one changes their viewing angle.” He fully turned to face you, if he had noticed the lightsabers, he did not say anything. “My compliments,” he said in his rich voice, “you have built something,” a beat, “unique, here.”

“Thank,” you swallowed, “Thank you.” 

He stepped closer, there was very little distance between you. He studied you as you did him. 

“Why are you here?” you asked.

“Because I must be. Why are you here?”

“Because I choose to be.”

The barest of smiles touched his lips. “Good.” He then turned and walked towards the red doors, motioning for you to follow. You did. Something around you was shifting, changing, it was as if the Force was taking a slow inhale. He put a hand on the door to open it, “You can continue on. There is more for you to see, if you want to.”

“And if I don’t?” 

“Then this will end and one of your lights will fade.”

You paused, eyeing the space around you. “I am still in the dream.” 

He nodded. 

“And you are not him.”

He shook his head, though he took a step towards you, a hand reaching to touch your cheek. “I could be, if you wished it.”

You caught it and pushed the hand gently away. 

“No. That is not why I am here.”

“Good,” he said again. He began to push the door open, a brighter light came from the other side. “Then go, learn. But there is one thing I must tell you, one thing you must know. _To k'otci tuzir hzebah vah._ ” 

You paused, the language was beautiful, but you’d never heard it before.

As you stepped through the door and looked back, his face seemed to change, to regard you more critically. 

“Who are you?” he asked, reserved, frustration edging his voice. 

You met his eyes and you knew that they were His eyes. 

“What is this?” 

You continued to stare, the door closing. If you stopped it, if you stepped back in, he would be there. You could talk to Him. But that was dangerous. Even this tiny sliver of a moment was dangerous. 

He could tell the moment was fading. You sensed him make a decision. He reached for the door, but found he had no power to keep it from closing. 

“Wait. I am n-” and the door clicked closed. 

You stepped back into snow. The two red doors stood out in the expansive forest that stretched out around you. As you looked around, you saw the trees were all made of ice. Pale blue columns refracted the light with branches of crystal extending out farther up the trunks. It was beautiful. The cold began to settle in and you wrapped your arms around yourself. You walked for almost a kilometer in the strange, quiet place when you came to a frozen lake. At the edge of it was a campfire, blue flames flickered, offering warmth. A small figure sat near it. As you approached you could see a young girl, maybe seven or eight years old in a flowing blue dress. Red ribbons tied her black hair up in place. She smiled and waved at you. You waved back, feeling relieved she was friendly. 

“Hello,” she said. 

“Hello,” you replied as you walked up and put your hands up to warm them by the fire. 

“Where are you from?” she asked. 

“Dantooine.”

She scrunched up her nose. “I don’t know where that is.” 

“Where are we?” you asked her.

She responded with a word you couldn't quite make out. 

“Well, I don’t know where that is.” 

“Want me to take you?” she asked. 

To that you just stared at her, a little confused. “And how would you do that?”

She gave a smile and picked up one of the toys strewn about her. It was a boat, one meant to sail on the water, when it wasn’t frozen behind her. She stood and began to make whooshing noises and she lifted and dipped it in the space around her. “See?” 

You just shook your head. 

“That’s alright. It’s much too soon anyway. I haven’t even been born yet.” 

“When will you be born?”

She just laughed. “How am I supposed to know that?” She picked up one of the other boats and held it out towards you. “Here, you try.”

You eyed her, trying to figure out who she was, what she meant. None of this was making any sense. 

“Go on,” she said, shaking the boat at you. 

“OK.” You took it from her. 

She stared at you, after a moment- “now you do this.” She moved her boat through the air.

You took a breath, and started to move the boat up and down, as if bobbing in the ocean. 

“No, no” she said, “you have to fly it.”

You eyed her, and then began to move it in more of a straight line. The Force sprang up around you, star lines filled your vision and in the next moment you were on Coruscant, the Jedi temple looming large before you. But it wasn’t the Jedi Temple anymore. Darkness washed through it, chilling you as much as the snow did before. Banners of red and black fluttered in the breeze. Troopers stood guard out front. You froze. You were only a few meters away, if they saw you, it would be over. But how could they not see you? You were the only one on the stairs. You fought to keep breathing. Seconds passed. The troopers made no move towards you. The doorway behind them beckoned. 

You took a step. They didn’t move. You took another. Still the troopers remained passive, scanning the street behind you. Your feet settled into a rhythm of slowly climbing the steps. Finally you were past them and in the main hall. So much had changed from the times you had visited before. What had once been a place of Light and growth was now consumed in darkness. The banners on the walls, the sconces, the flooring, it was as if a great spider had made its home within. And there, at the far end, in the center of the nest, perched a black throne. 

You ducked behind a pillar as you sensed his gaze sweep past. This might be a dream, but something warned you that it also might be something more. You still grasped the boat in your hand. A slow, deep breath moved through you as you centered yourself. 

Voices echoed from the far end, but the distance muddled the words. You focused, your Force receding, your own shadow enveloping you. Slowly you crept along the pillars, getting closer, until finally you were close enough to make out the conversation. 

A deep, almost synthetic voice came first. “Do you think he will find it?”

A second voice responded. This one raspy with a hard edge to it. “He has had success where others have failed. If he does not, then perhaps I will have to visit this land myself.”

“You truly believe it to be there?”

“It is. But its song is muffled, hidden from me.” His tone came sharp. “I will have it.”

“Yes, my Master.”

A wave of Darkness washed around you. It became harder to breathe.

“Someone is here,” said the raspy voice, the Emperor’s voice you realized. Fear rose in you.

The hall was quiet a moment. 

“You cannot hide, little one.” The voice came from much closer. 

The boat began to warm in your hand. _Yeah_ , you agreed, _time to go._

You brought it up just as he was rounding the column. The boat grew in size, blocking his view of you. You pushed it forward and the Force responded. The Darkness countered, trying to ensnare, its anger cresting around, up and over, but starlines blurred and you were gone. 

Movement stopped. Your bare feet hit smooth deck plating. Cool, recycled air filled your lungs. Grey metal walls surrounded you in the dim light. At the head of the room was a desk with a projector in the middle. Behind it was a sculpture of two reptiles. You let out a shaky breath and continued to look around. Sculptures stood on pedestals and art hung on the walls around you. “No” you breathed. “Not here, not now.” The Force around you was beginning to waver, to lose balance. Your encounter on Coruscant still pulsed in your temple, still thudded your heart in your chest. “Get control of yourself” you whispered.

It was ok, you could take a moment to breathe, which you did. You carefully sank to your knees and closed your eyes. This was still your dream, _wasn’t it?_ This was just a vision. _Wasn’t it?_ You honestly didn’t know anymore. You could feel fatigue creeping in. So you just breathed, in and out. In and out. You heard footsteps, but you kept your eyes closed, kept your breath steady. This was your vision. This was your Force. You had control here. He would not see you unless you wished it.

You slowly opened your eyes. The Admiral wasn’t far. He was dressed for sleep, in an undershirt and loose pants. He leaned against the desk, datapad in hand. 

You took a moment to study him. He was certainly, fit. The curve of shoulder muscles lined the top of his torso. His arms too were toned, he clearly put effort into his physical strength. He seemed to be studying the datapad intently, though a tiredness hung around his eyes. After a moment he stifled a yawn. The glow of the datapad on his face faded as he turned it off, set it aside. Then he just leaned there, against his desk, arms on either side for support. His eyes were lost in thought and slightly downcast. They almost seemed to give off a soft red glow. 

You wished there was more you could do. You wished you could talk to him. But, again, if you could somehow make contact, if this was indeed happening 'Now', there was no way to explain it. He could never know what you were. Shadows must remain shadows. 

You looked down at the little boat in your hands. It was beautifully painted, and worn from years of play. It had significance, you knew, but just not what. 

You heard him shift, stand up. He rubbed at his eyes, frustration on his face. “Who are you?” he asked to an empty room, echoing his question from earlier in the dream. 

“Just someone trying to get by,” you said. He did not seem to react to your words. “Just someone wanting to make a life and live it to the end.” You rose slowly and took a few steps towards him. A small bit of anger rose in you. If he lied about the metal, what else could he be lying about. “Were you being honest?” you asked. “That you’re not here for us, that you’ll leave us be?” 

He walked past you, back towards the room you presumed to be his sleeping quarters. It took everything in you not to reach out, to demand an answer. This Admiral in his Star Destroyer. He had the power to end everything for you. And you just had to wait it out, praying he didn’t discover your secret. A month, no, more than that, under this man’s damned red gaze. Your hands clenched into fists, you closed your eyes again, trying to will yourself away. But the Force was not responding. You were so tired.

A warm hand wrapped around your arm. You froze, eyes opening to see him standing in front of you. His face was calm, his grip only strong enough for you to feel him there, with no intent to hold you in place. “Breathe,” he said, and took an inhale. You mirrored him, your breath catching a little on the way in. Then you let it out on his exhale. You followed his breath again, and then again. In time your heartbeat slowed, your body calmed. 

He gave a small nod and you woke in your meditation room on the ranch.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry the Force got in the way. (Ok, I'm really not sorry, this whole chapter is a bit of a tease.)  
> Also, I love writing the Force, especially when it has a will of its own.  
> Thank you for reading!


	4. Outflow

The next morning came early, as it always did. You, thankfully, had no more dreams that night. You'd talked Rel through what you saw, but neither of you had any answers. You’d risen, had your caf and a meal, checked on the livestock and your staff and were doing just about any task that kept you from thinking about the shuttle that would soon be descending. 

The morning was calm and cool. A few high up clouds spread across the sky. You watched the sunrise paint them in color briefly. Weather might hold off for a bit. Rel joined you on the porch, catching the last of the orange clouds as the sky took on its blue for the day.

“You ready?” she asked. 

“As I’ll ever be.”

She leaned in, pressing up against your side and you shifted an arm to bring her close. Her Force came to you warm and reassuring. “All we can do is trust it. That you saw what you were supposed to.” 

“Maybe I can figure out what it means in time, this time.”

She was quiet a moment, some thought working its way through. “Or, perhaps you’re not supposed to do this one alone. Maybe someone else is a part of it.”

“Rel, no, just,” you shifted away slightly. “We can’t trust any of them. None of them. Now, we can be friendly. We can show them around and get them through this. We can be the height of Outer Rim hospitality. But, we can never forget, not for a moment, that they are the enemy. And if they find out, all of this is over,” you gestured to the land around you “all of this is gone.” You took her face in your hands. “We have worked too hard, survived too much, to risk it over, what, a vision? A hiccup in the Force? I love you and I will not risk that because some blue man in his undershirt was kind to me in a dream!”

She pulled you into a hug and you accepted it, arms wrapping tightly around you. “I love you too,” she said. Then you felt the slight bit of mischievousness flare up in her. “I hear you and I support you, but, what if, in the dream, the blue man was completely naked?”

You paused, and then couldn’t help the laughter that bubbled up in you. The same came to her and after a moment you both were nearly bent over in hysterics as you discussed the potential appearance and color of certain appendages as well as the clearly dry and militaristic pillow talk that would ensue from such an encounter. Tears stained your eyes and the sides of your face were sore from smiling when you heard the shuttle on its approach. 

“Oh, kriff, alright,” you said, wiping away tears, “come on.” 

You’d both managed to pull yourselves together by the time the boarding ramp began to lower. 

Commander Vanto and Admiral Thrawn exited and walked towards you. You found it impossible not to smile when you looked at the stoic Admiral and Rel was one hundred percent to blame for that. Your previous worries stayed to the periphery as you gave a nod to the two gentlemen. 

"Good morning, Boss," Commander Vanto said, seeming to pick up on the joviality of the moment. He gave another nod, "Miss Devora."

"Good morning Commander, Admiral," she said to both. "I hope you slept well and are ready for the day."

You stilled just a little, your eyes turning towards the Admiral. 

"Yes ma'am," came Commander Vanto's friendly reply. 

Admiral Thrawn gave a curt nod. "We are." His gaze met yours, Maker he was intense, and you had no idea what emotion sat behind them. The humor from Rel began to abate, though you still couldn't help the warmth that lingered. He took a step back and motioned for you and Rel to join them on the shuttle. 

Your smile finally receded as your feet echoed on the metal flooring and you stepped forward into the Imperial shuttle. You hadn't been on one like this before and you noted the upgrades from ones you'd piloted during the Clone Wars. Not that you had officially been a part of that, but on the occasion you did gather information for the Jedi, you sometimes had to get creative with your flying. Sadly, those engagements rarely involved desk clerks and waiting rooms. 

Rel stepped up next to you and you took a moment to watch the boarding ramp raise back up and hiss close. It took effort to continue to take up space, to be a presence when the Admiral, when Thrawn, stepped in front of you, leading you to the cockpit. You could feel his height even more keenly in the smaller space. Rel gave your shoulder a squeeze. She could feel it too. As soon as you lifted off, you'd both be under the Admiral's sway. Not for too long, though, as this was an agreed upon fly-over of the land they would be searching. Commander Vanto wanted a full visual, just to confirm the size and terrain. And you wanted to make clear the surrounding ranches and their borders as well as the fields with herds in them. 

Flight Officer Rhado was seated in the pilot's chair and Commander Vanto took the copilot's. She gave a small nod back to you. "Should be a smooth flight, you can remain standing to get a better visual. But if asked, please take the seats along the wall and buckle in."

"Will do," you replied, stepping into the space behind her chair. 

She then looked to the Admiral. 

"Proceed."

She hadn't really powered down, so the sequence to bring the engines back up was quick. You let your eyes wander over the controls. They were pretty standard, though a little more limited than your personal freighter. You'd considered offering to use your 720, but if the Empire wanted to burn their own fuel, let them. 

Her fingers easily moved over the toggles and then took the yoke. Directional thrusters had to come first, then a gentle pull back to ease the ship forward and up, nice and easy over the ranch. Rel took your hand, bringing you back from your tightening focus. You did love to fly and would have to make some kind of trip of your own soon. 

"Maybe the Festival of Lumination?" Rel whispered to you. 

This brought a smile and you turned to give her a kiss on the cheek. "Perfect." 

You felt the ship adjust angle, taking it farther over the ranch. "Just make sure to give the barns a wide clearance, at least 300. They're not used to the sound of this shuttle."

Rhado gave a nod, making the adjustment.

"Thank you."

"Skies look clear," Commander Vanto said from his side of the controls.

You nodded. "Only a few high clouds, we should be good for most of today. Yesterday's storm was strong enough, might leave a little quiet in its wake."

"A passing storm can affect the next day in such a way?" Thrawn asked as he stood behind the Commander's chair. There was less than a meter between the two of you and images from the dream wanted to push their way to the forefront. It took a breath and a moment of centering before you could respond.

"Well, it’s more a reflection of the broader system. Since it's a fluid, it all acts like water," you indicated to the skies outside, "and the storms form when the ‘waves’ move through, like they’re hitting the shallows. Once a big one comes through, usually everything has to take a breath, falling back into a trough, before another wave comes tumbling through. Once it all really gets going, the waves are faster, taller, and come more quickly." 

Rel gave a small snort and you immediately shot the smallest jab of your elbow back at her. "So," you drew out the word, "today, at least, should be calm. Does that make sense?" 

"It does."

You glanced down at Commander Vanto who was doing his best to hide his own smirk. You just shook your head. 

"Is something wrong?" Thrawn asked.

"It's fine. I'm just adjusting to this," you circled your hand indicating the shuttle and all of them, "as my reality for possibly the next few months." 

He stood straighter. "As we've discussed, we shall endeavor to resolve things as quickly as possible."

"No, it's not," your hand reached towards his arm before you could stop it, offering just a light touch through the jacket, meant to reassure, but you felt him still immediately. You pulled your hand back just as quickly. "Sorry, I mean, I wasn't saying this was bad, just different is all." You fought the red that wanted to come to your cheeks and just put both hands on the small bar behind the chair in front of you. 

Rel and Commander Vanto exchanged another look. 

"I will end the both of you," your voice threatened a growl.

"You will wha-"

"Stop." You gave the Admiral your best 'we’re not doing this' stare. "It's a turn of phrase. Hyperbole, used purposefully for humor with no true hostile intent."

His face continued to be made of stone. "And do you find that to be effective?"

"I," Maker above, what the hell was happening. "Yes, usually."

He thought it over. "So, if you were to do something of a social nature that I would prefer you not do again, I could say to you, that I would," he added emphasis, "end you"? 

Setting aside the immediate physical reaction your body had to his words, because that would not be productive, you happily leaned into your next response, which caused you to turn more fully towards him and perhaps press slightly into his personal space. 

"Well, you could. But then I would say, that you are more than welcome to try." And you gave him your best smile, containing an eager acceptance of such a challenge. 

Something shifted in the air around you, it was so subtle you almost missed it. His body position didn't seem to change and his face still held his reserved expression. But his eyes, were they brighter? Was there a small twitch of his hand? Had his breath come a little shorter? In the Force, tiny motes of possibility spun away from the moment around you.

Finally he said, "Interesting." 

_That's it, 'interesting'?_ You waited, keeping yourself facing him. 

He relaxed and turned back to the viewport. "I will keep that in mind." You definitely saw the hint of a smile at the corner of his lips. "I believe we are coming up on the edge of our search grid." 

You rubbed your eyes and took a moment to consider if it was better or worse for someone to get tossed out an airlock while in atmosphere. Better because they could still breathe, worse because then they have the entire fall to the ground to contemplate their error. You took a breath and let your attention shift to the world outside the shuttle. 

"Yes, this is still a part of the broader paddock that leads to the main nerf barn. We should see the line of fencing," you paused, then pointed to the small dots of the metal posts with cabling stretched between them, "there. We use a durasteel alloy that's coated in a synth-elastica blend, to slow oxidation and make them less conductive. We have to put stoppers between sections of cabling so the lighting strikes don't travel down the line to anything that might be leaning against, or working on, the fencing."

"Does it take much maintenance?"

You gave a shrug, "everything takes maintenance, but this has been the best we've found so far. The posts are at a standard 1.5m height, so you'll either want to set your speeder cruise height above that or just make note of where the fencelines are."

You passed over the fence and below you the land stretched out in a series of low hills, all covered with the soft, yellow and lavender grasses. Wind moved through them like waves. 

"As you can see, there's fewer trees this side of the ranch, so you won't have to worry much about that."

Rhado spoke up. "Should be easy to navigate. Any ferrous patches below ground?"

"No, none that we've found."

"The river?"

"That’s a little ways off, but you’ll be able to see where it wanders onto our land." You were coming up along the northern border. 

"Oh, you see that fenceline off to the right, it's slightly darker and has a light on every few posts or so?"

Thrawn nodded, as did Commander Vanto. 

"That's the edge of Blue Beam and the other side is Vyron's land. He's not too friendly, so give him a heads up if you're crossing that line."

"We shouldn't need to, but I'll keep that in mind," Commander Vanto said. 

“I gave all the neighbors a heads up last night, so they know to expect some activity in the area and don’t get too jumpy that Imperials are around.”

“Does that normally make people ‘jumpy’?” Thrawn asked.

“It certainly can. Took a bit for you folks to figure out which regulations you wanted to keep or modify. A few people ‘round here have lost land, livestock, or worse, because they were suddenly found non-compliant. It can take a while to rebuild that trust.” You stayed turned towards the front, Rel did the same. Her hand found yours at your side. 

“Then” Thrawn considered his words, “I appreciate the time and cordiality you have offered.”

You shrugged and it was one of the hardest, casual movements you’ve ever made. “It’ll make things more efficient and I’ve got no conflict with ya.” While the specific words were true, the broader sentiment was very much not. It was a lie, and that did not sit well with you. Rel, fortunately, only had to keep her eyes forward, her breathing even, and not respond. You still held her hand, which had tightened around yours. “Might as well be friendly,” you concluded, giving a nod in his direction. 

A silence settled in after that and the shuttle flew on. 

As the scenery shifted -it didn’t really change, per se, but you could see where you were on your land - you pointed out the different fields and what they were used for. The Commander had his datapad out and occasionally took notes. His questions were good ones, seeking specificity, insightful, disarming. Any tension that remained eased as you fell into a comfortable chatter about the land and its natural patterns. 

You finally came upon the river. This time of year it was just a sliver of a thing, winding through the grass. "Summer storms will fill it out," you said as you passed over. 

"Not the ones coming through now?" Thrawn asked. 

"Not as much. Storms will linger for days in the summer, but they aren't as talkative."

He gave you a look.

"They don't have as much lightning and thunder, that's the vocal part."

"You talk about them like they are alive."

"Well, they kind of are. They grow, reach maturity, and then eventually fade. They feed off the sun. Electricity runs through them. They're unpredictable and can cause destruction, but they also water the new shoots so the grass can grow. They breathe - their inhale makes the grass dance and that first exhale of cool air on a muggy afternoon will make you smile every time. Their lightning paints pictures that linger once they're gone and the thunder is a primal kind of music. Feels alive to me."

That small smile returned. 

“Maybe,” you drew the word out, emboldened by that damned little upturn at the corner of his mouth, “one night when you’re stuck on the ranch, I’ll show you.” 

You stilled. _What the kriff did I just offer?_ The way Rel warmed at your side, she seemed to have an idea. 

“I mean,” you tried to course correct, “if you’re here for more than a few days, the storms will ground the speeders anyway.” 

He studied you a moment and then nodded. "Please do. Such insight would be welcome." A lot of the time, people humored you when you talked about the storms, but his words seemed genuine. He also, thankfully, did not seem to find an innuendo in your phrasing.

Where you expected to see another smirk from the Commander, you found him having a different reaction. His eyes were a little wide and he was doing his best to keep his attention on the land in front of him and not give some kind of look back at his Admiral. Was that an unusual response from him? Did you miss a change in tone of voice?

 _"Are you flirting?"_ Rel asked, her voice soft and little teasing at the back of your mind. 

_"Swear to the Maker, not on purpose!"_ you replied. You let your exasperation come through to her mind. _"He's the enemy."_

She gave you a look. _"You keep saying that."_

You just shook your head and stared straight ahead. The shuttle had made the turn south and you were over the western most portion of your land. It was the starting place for them to begin their work, as it was the start of the initial debris field and the direction where the storms usually come from. 

"How long do you think it will take to get here by speeder?" Commander Vanto asked. 

"Should be-"

"At top spee-" you and Flight Officer Rhado began to respond at the same time. She nodded to you.

"It usually takes about 30 minutes, maybe 45, if you're going straight line." You looked to her and she nodded. 

"Yes, at top speed it should be about that long."

"Is there anything bigger out here that might impede our progress?" Thrawn asked.

"If you mean mega-fauna, no, everybody does nerfs or smaller. This place isn't really good for banthas. And there's nothing native around her that'll give you trouble."

"Predators?" 

"Packs of huurton can move through, but they won't bother you if you're on a speeder. They're a feral canine, more active at night. Grauls are a continent away, thank the Maker, and it’s been 10 years since we’ve seen a laigrek. They can infest if you’re not careful, but all the ranchers are in agreement on not letting them get a foothold here. Look, unless you’re planning on leaving ranch land and wandering to the wilder parts of the planet, you’ll be fine. It’ll be even ground and kilometer after kilometer of grass, endless grass." You gave a wave towards the land, "it'll all look the same at first, but you'll get to know the differences in time. Or, maybe you won't, I'm sure the hope is to find what you're looking for quickly."

"Hope matters little without action, but yes."

Not too far off you could see another line of fencing with lights on them. Hills had grown a little taller and the river wound its way through the small valleys. "We're coming up on the southern border. If you need to keep searching, that'll be Nim's land. She's friendlier, we've sometimes shared fields for the herds. She's newer to nerfing, but has picked it up well. If I need something, or if she does, we're there for each other. The river makes more of a mark on her land, cuts into a nice divot a few more kilometers south. It's not quite a canyon, but give it a few thousand more years, it'll get there. It's actual a gulley-"

"No," Rel interjected, "it is actually a ravine." She gave you a playful nudge. "You and Nim like to call it a gulley so you can say it's what the land is named after." She glanced at Thrawn, "this swath of land that gets the most intense storms is _sometimes_ called the Stormland Gulley. It is a ridiculously dramatic-"

"It's a good name and it is catching on," you said, giving guff back at her. "We'll get it on the maps, you'll see." 

"What you need to do," Commander Vanto chimed in, "is make friends with the local meteorologist. Get them to say it in a broadcast."

"Yes! Thank you!"

Rel's hand went to her chest in mock dismay. "Commander Vanto, you side with her? I see how it's going to be. Flight Officer Rhado, what do you think?"

You watched her stiffen as she was roped into the debate. 

"Well," she chose her words carefully, "I'd have to see the gulley, to make a judgment on if it's the right descriptor. As to 'Stormland Gulley' as a name, I feel it is more something you might find on Naboo?"

Rel crossed her arms. "Thank you, Flight Officer Rhado, for being a voice of reason." Then Rel turned on Thrawn. "That makes you the tie breaker." 

One of his eyebrows raised in distinct curiosity at the moment. The mood in the shuttle was probably the most light hearted this Imperial vehicle had seen in some time. 

He thought for a moment, looking between the two of you. You did your best to seem nonchalant whereas Rel had a slightly more intense focus on the Admiral.

"If we are discussing the geographical feature, then I agree with Flight Officer Rhado. It would need to be seen to confirm or reassess its designation." 

Rel started to celebrate but he held up a hand.

"However, one lesson we can already learn from this mission is that change is as omnipresent as it is inevitable. Names can change, and things without names can gain them. Weather systems are amorphous and fickle, and can be easily dismissed. A good name, one that catches the attention, could make one aware of a peril that was going to be overlooked. Even if something begins with a jest, truth can still be, and often is, found within." He looked to you. "It is expressive, but I can appreciate the thought behind the name."

The entire shuttle was quiet for a few moments as everyone took in his words. 

A warmth came from the front and you glanced at Commander Vanto. His face held both familiarity and admiration and you realized, he considered the Admiral a friend. _Interesting._

You then gave a formal nod to Thrawn. "Thank you, Admiral. I'm sure everyone," you shot a look at Rel, "can appreciate your wisdom." 

She was just staring at him. "Oh, I won't forget this." 

You turned quickly, "it’s hyperbole-"

"For the purpose of humor. I understand," he replied.

You relaxed a little. 

"I think I see what you mean," he continued. "In that this," he motioned to the personal dynamic around him, "might take some adjustment."

"We'll try not to corrupt too many of your crew."

He paused.

"Fresh air, good food, the chance to laugh every now and again. It's a powerful combination."

That smile came back. "Then perhaps I should cycle all of them through." 

Your eyes went wide. That would be thousands of people. You couldn't- then you chuckled. "Well played. I yield the point. Though," perhaps there was a counter thought, "if it could be done, think of the press, an entire Star Destroyer taking leave at my little ranch, I could up my prices. And, it would take you far longer to get all of them through here than even your most reserved search estimates."

"Would you wish an Imperial presence for that long?"

"I'm curious, who's patience do you think would last longer, mine, or the one who is seeking your mystery item?"

"You presume my crew is easy to manage." 

"With you leading them? I most certainly do."

At that he remained silent and you could feel the smallest hint of satisfaction leak through from him.


	5. Prevailing Winds

Flight Officer Rhado pulled one of the speeders out of the shuttle. You and Rel stood off to the side. You both already had your wide-brimmed hats on, a small duffel in hand, and a case holding food for lunch and drinks. The first run could take several hours, if they were satisfied with the scanner's performance. 

Commander Vanto and Admiral Thrawn stepped in as soon as it came to a stop. Rather than rows of seats, the middle area was open, with seating along the side. Flight Officer Rhado was behind the controls at the front and the other two moved aft and began tinkering with a decent-sized, square device that had been secured to the speeder. 

You walked up and leaned against the side. "So that's it?" you asked, inclining your head towards what must be the scanner. 

"It is," was Thrawn's only reply. Their attention remained on it, so you looked to the pilot. 

"Permission to come aboard?"

That bought you a small smile and she gave a nod. 

You hopped over the side and Rel followed. You both chose a spot closer to the front, not that there was a lot of room, but you wanted to give the two officers space. The tension had picked up just a little and you didn't want to seem like you were prying.

Rel leaned forward towards Flight Officer Rhado. "I don't suppose you have a hat with a wider brim?" She traced around the edge of hers, indicating what she meant. 

"No ma'am, this is what was issued." Her small cap only covered the front of her face. 

"Well, we can get you something different, if the sun starts to bother you. You do have goggles?"

"Yes ma'am," and she patted the pair tucked into the console in front of her. “Though we do have a windblock I can raise, so that should keep the airflow up over the craft.”

"Good, good, it can sometimes be dusty and gnat swarms are pretty common. They're not biting, but will sting if you get them in your eyes. And I definitely don't want that happening to my favorite Imperial pilot."

She gave a little chuckle. "No, ma'am. Though I should point out that, so far, I am the only Imperial pilot you’ve met.”

Rel gave her a wave of her hand, “oh pish. Though, feel free to use it as a challenge to any others that may join us.” 

Then Rel turned to address the two men to the rear of the speeder and paused. She could no doubt sense both their concentration and stance of protectiveness over the device.

You took a moment to study what you could see of it. Mostly it was a metal casing that was roughly a meter on all sides. Handles came off of opposite sides, _reinforced, it must be a decent weight._ It was bolted to the deck, but seemed to have some repulsor component that kept it stable and reduced sudden movements. Two metal arms came off the sides with an additional one towards the back. They reached past the edge of the speeder once extended. At the end of each arm was some kind of emitter that you hadn't seen before. What could that be looking for? Was it an echo sounder, or a trifocal resonance imager? An idea teased at the back of your mind, but it wouldn't come forward. You had to trust the Force would tell you if it was something bad. And maybe Rel would pick up something from Commander Vanto. The other thing you noted, there was no way it was fitting on an orbak, so they were stuck using the speeders.

Rel settled into the seat beside you and you both waited patiently. 

After a few more moments the two men in the back took a seat, one on each side, and gave word for Flight Officer Rhado to begin. The speeder hummed to life and you leaned forward. 

“Give good clearance of the ranch, more specifically the barns. We don’t know how the animals will react to this thing,” you pointed back at the scanner. 

She gave a nod and eased the speeder away from and then around the ranch. Flying higher, she took a straight line towards the start point of the search grid. No one seemed inclined to talk and you just enjoyed the open air and view of the land. You could see to every horizon and for a while, it was all your land. No, this was not going to be the worst experience. Rel sat warmly next to you and you could feel her agreement. Life at Blue Beam can be busy, and pass quickly, so this moment of quiet, where you didn’t have any pressing responsibilities, was a tiny piece of happiness. 

You snuck your arms around Rel’s waist and pulled her closer to you. She easily relaxed back. It was amazing how much had changed. At first, she had been hesitant at any touch, her commitment to non-attachment having been duracreted in place by the Order. You’d been careful, patient, and never rushed her. If she’d never accepted you closer, you’d still have taught her how to blend in and would have helped her however you could, even if she wanted to part ways. Her fingers intertwined with yours and she offered you reassurance and contentment in the Force. But she hadn’t left and over time, she’d learned to recognize and then embrace the love you both shared. This was a love you would protect, and you glanced back at the two men. Commander Vanto had his attention off to the horizon, but Admiral Thrawn seemed to be looking in your direction. You sensed that he hadn’t been staring, per se, but for a moment his eyes met yours and you held that gaze. Somewhere in the future, the two of you were going to have a conversation, though you didn’t know what you were going to say. 

You returned your attention to Rel. Her unspoken question came to you and you just reassured her. You both were safe, you would see to it things stayed that way.

In time, the northern border came into view, and eventually the western one. Flight Officer Rhado brought the speeder down and into line with the display she had on the dash. It showed a pre-programmed path for the first days’ pass of the scanner. All she had to do was let the onboard computer follow the coordinates. The speeder settled into a height of two meters, enough to easily sail over the fencelines. You were sure Rhado could step in if needed, but there weren’t any herds to deal with on the first day, so it should be simple, if not a bit repetitive.

Both men brought their focus back to the moment and hands reached to different parts of the sensor. Then their attention turned to the top of the scanner, so you assumed there was some kind of display. You weren’t sure it was on, until Commander Vanto adjusted something and you began to hear a faint ping every second or so. It was a soft sound, barely heard over the hum of the speeder and wind. Hard to believe something like that could reach very far, but maybe it was stronger beneath the emitters, and maybe the ping was merely an indicator from the display. Whatever it was doing, it didn’t seem to disturb anything around it. 

Their attention to the scanner remained focused for the first 30 minutes, then an hour, then an hour and a half. Commander Vanto began to relax first, letting his back hit the padded rest along the side. Admiral Thrawn kept his focus well into the time your stomach started to give grumbles in hunger. 

Rel stirred beside you, coming out of a light meditation. How she could just go in and out of them was beyond you. It usually took patience, determination, and some kind of incense for you to do it proper. Rel said you were trying too hard, but if you did it her way, you were dozing in under five minutes. You found it far easier to slip into the Force if you were moving - on a run, working an orbak, sparring. You just didn't do as well when you had to sit still. Rel said that meant you just needed more practice. You always replied that it was important to recognize and play to one's strengths.

You broke the seal on the cooler and managed to get everyone's attention. "Ah, so it is meal time." You started to hand out items but Thrawn held up a hand. 

"Flight Officer, bring us to a stop, we can take a moment to eat."

"Yes, sir." 

The speeder slowed and then stopped with the height just at the tops of the grasses. Commander Vanto reached to the scanner and the pinging stopped. The quiet of the open field settled around you. For a moment there was just the wind in the grasses and an amorous jumper cricket or two.

But, you could feel the hunger in the people around you and so you began to pass out the drinks and food. It was all easily handled items without much sauce or oil to them, so cleanup would be easy. Je'ors had prepared it, so there was also a piece of pie for everyone as well. Both the Commander and Flight Officer made very agreeable sounds when they got to their dessert. You eyed the Admiral as he tried his piece. He took a bite, taking time to parse the flavors and when you glanced back, in what was surely only a second later, his entire piece was gone. 

_Excellent._ You took his plate back, large smile on your face. "Our secret weapon, none can resist."

"Perhaps, Mr. Je'ors," he recalled the name, "would consider an Imperial contract for our more delicate negotiations."

You huffed. "Don't you go stealing my people. Not that you could get him, he’s done his time. It’s a good idea, though. Feeding a need in one area of life could show you can meet a need in others." 

Rel tried to fight her instinctive laugh and failed miserably. You quickly amended your statement "like security or resources."

You shot a glance to Commander Vanto and he was suddenly, intently studying his drink container. 

Admiral Thrawn just nodded. "Precisely." 

You pointed at the scanner, quick to change topics. "How is it going?" 

A greater reserve crept back into place, but he did answer. "It appears to be functioning well. If the item is here, we will find it."

And then the quiet was over. The pinging began again and the speeder lifted up and began to move at a steady pace. 

The next few hours were the same and finally Thrawn gave the order to return to the ranch. You eyed the skies. A few white columns were building, but it was too late in the day for them to grow into anything of substance. Thrawn caught your sightline and leaned forward. 

“If the weather holds, I would like to bring down a few of my crew early and push to finish this unit of the grid today.”

“Any of them staying at the Ranch tonight?”

“No, I do not plan for them to.”

“Then that should be fine. I’ll give orientation in the morning, then you can have use of Blue Beam as you need.”

He simply gave a nod in understanding and then turned to watch the scenery. 

You stole another moment to observe him. He was leaned back against the padded seating of the speeder, an arm draped along the edge in what might have been the most relaxed pose you’d seen from him. His neutral face showed no emotion, but it held little tension either. You found yourself wondering what he was thinking. Was he watching the world before him or had his mind turned elsewhere? 

You broke your stare before it became obvious and instead let your Force reach out. It was the barest hint of a thing, nothing more than the breeze passing you all by. The whole world around you echoed with Light and life. The grass, the insects, the sun, the clouds; then you focused closer, Flight Officer Rhado, Rel, Commander Vanto, who was simply enjoying the peaceful moment. And then your mind brushed against, the best you could describe it was a toy of rotating mirrors and colored glass you’d had as a child. A strong force of will laid the foundation for incredible vibrancy and pattern, a twisting geometry so intricate it almost gave you vertigo. Something about it both easily avoided your reach and threatened to intertwine and bind at its edges. In a sliver of space between the two, using that fluidity of the Force that let you dance around another’s attack, you reached for the chance to see within. There, a single image, a transport vehicle in a tube of ice. There was a-

Rel pulled you close, her hand squeezing your arm tightly. The touch broke both your concentration and your connection. You found yourself suddenly winded. Her Force came warm, helping you steady yourself. 

_“Careful. You don’t know if he has defenses. A strong enough mind can protect itself, even without specific training.”_ Her words came to your mind as a slight admonishment. 

_“I was just curious.”_

_“Believe me, we all are. But this is my specialty, remember.”_ She traced her hand along the side of your face and you leaned into the touch. _"I can try,"_ she continued, _"if you want. But there is an intricacy that would take me time to get around and I cannot be sure he wouldn't sense it."_

_"No, it's alright. But, thank you for offering."_

_"It was a decent attempt, though you were about to get into trouble."_

You gave her a look. 

_"What, me?"_

She chuckled. _"We have time. We'll figure him out."_

Yeah, yeah, maybe you were more than a bit curious. She'd see through any protestations to the opposite. It was easy to take for granted the insight and intimacy granted to you by the Force, to see into her mind, to know for sure what she was feeling. You made a conscious effort to appreciate it as often as you could. But there were a lot of ways to abuse it. Neither of you, generally, went mucking about in other's minds, unless they gave you cause. Imperials, though, your safety relied on them not really seeing you. Rel never dug for personal information, just checked to make sure they saw what everyone else was supposed to - two ranchers fighting to make a living on difficult land. 

You adjusted your hat. It was the truth, after all.

The ranch came into view and you sat up straighter. It was getting on in the afternoon and you still had to work the orbaks and make sure Myra and the nerfs were doing well. Two calves on the ground already, with lots more to go. Day help should be gone by now and you would have one more night of quiet before Thrawn's people were on the ground and guest side.

Even with the list of things that needed done that evening, you added one more, time with Lu's holocron on the mat. The extra minds would be extra things to tune out, and you could do that just fine, but you'd take advantage of one more night of peace, if you could. 

And as soon as you added it to your list, it became the thing you were working towards. You gave a slightly absentminded goodbye to the Admiral and didn't even stay to see the speeder pulled back into the shuttle. 

Rel's chuckle brought you back to the moment. She hooked an arm around yours as you approached the red doors. "I think the Admiral was a little crestfallen you didn't engage in conversation when you left."

"Oh?"

"He complimented the pie and might have stayed for dinner, if you'd asked."

"Oh!" That got your attention. You turned, but he was already walking up the boarding ramp, his back to you. Commander Vanto gave a wave, though, which you happily returned. 

"Damn it."

"What's got your attention?"

You quirked a smile. "Time on the mat."

"Ah, something new, or working out the kinks on a previous form?"

"Little bit of both. I still can't make it through this one sequence of Lu’s. He's so fluid when he does it. I just keep hitting this stutter point."

She kissed your temple. "You'll get it."

"Eventually. Or he can show me in the afterlife."

This brought a full laugh from her, one of your favorite sounds. "That's the-"

"Don't you dare-"

"-spirit."

The groan came of its own accord, but you did feel better. 

"Wait." She almost let you go, then paused. "What's the other one you're working on?"

Your grin grew a little wider. "Blaster palm," you said a little sheepishly. 

She set her hand on her hip. "OK, one, that is a terrible name and two, am I going to find you stunned on the floor again?"

"I give it a good 60% chance that you won't."

She continued to stare. _"You already have a way to block them."_

_"That we cannot use!"_

_"And you catching a blaster bolt with your hand won't attract attention?"_

You reached to take her hands in yours. "My love, I am allowed to grow my skill set. _Aren't you always wanting me to better attune myself with the Force?"_

_"This is not-"_ she sighed, "yes, you are."

"I know, you're worried for my safety, and" you sighed, ceding at least part of the point, "I acknowledge that I've given you reason to in the past. This is me growing, we may need it."

"Can't you just enjoy what we have?"

"I am. I do. But I also want to enjoy not getting incapacitated by an enemy."

She touched your cheek. "If you look for enemies everywhere, they will most certainly appear." 

You pulled her into a kiss, which she happily obliged. 

Finally she pulled back and rested her forehead against yours. "Go on, learn to punch blaster bolts or something."

"No, see, that's the next kata, after I stop the blaster shots, I can get close enough to just punch the blasters out of their hands." You tapped your temple, "I've got it all planned out right here."

To which she laughed. 

You leaned in to steal one more kiss and then you were off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just setting up a few more things, the story will pick up soon, I promise.  
> Also, you and Rel are the cutest, that's just the way it is.  
> Thank you for reading!


	6. Bow Echo

Your bare feet stepped onto the mat and the rest of the galaxy began to recede. You still smelled faintly of orbak, a smell that grounded you in life. You'd changed though, so as to not track dirt and animal hair into your practice space. You wore clothes you could move in and that left your arms free. In the wall of mirrors you could see yourself, a woman, a fighter, a rancher with the confidence, scars, and muscle to match.

You reached out a hand, letting the Force begin to fill you. It came easily, eagerly. You'd not used much today, so your connection was strong and more than ready. Two melodies came to you as you opened the compartments and drew the items to you. Lu Daris' holocron came to your left hand and your saber settled in your right.

You were eager, but not in a rush. No, rushing was never a part of it, not here. You set his holocron to the side. There was time. First, you wanted to both warm up and focus in. To do that, you flicked the switch and the saber in your hand came to life. A deep blue blade emerged and cast the room in its cool light. The crystal at its heart sang wildly, yet perfectly in tune with your own. The hum and vibration brought a sense of peace. It also brought you focus. With the saber came power and responsibility. This was no training blade. A severe burn was the least it could do and as you let the weight fully settle in your hand, the rest of the ranch truly faded away. 

Your life was only you, the crystal, and the blade. A primal energy radiated through it all, connecting you, the crystal, and the blade. You held onto that moment, before the Light and power began to move with you. You were strong. You were capable. You were connected to the very foundations of the galaxy. Slowly, you brought the blade into your starting position. Over your life you had learned the Jedi saber forms, and so, to acknowledge the Masters that came before and to bring yourself to the state of readiness you needed to work on Lu’s form, you began to pace your way, in order, through them. 

Form I was simple, “the building blocks and strikes of saber combat,” Lu would say, enjoying his own bit of wordplay. It was also the oldest form. Your movements came slow and precise. The blade hummed through the air, its glow a frame for your vision. In a few moments you came to rest again. 

Form II was more precise. In your mind's eye you faced a single opponent, wielding a blade like your own. In fact, you saw it as your own. Deliberate and graceful moves matched against the same. You knew, you would always be your first and most challenging opponent. In your path to self mastery was the need to know yourself, to understand the ways you stood in your own way and where you were keeping yourself from growing. Your attacks, your parries, your side steps followed a polished pattern. You finish the kata with your head high, you back straight, and your blade up before your face in a formal close.

With Form III your pace began to pick up. This was a useful form, a defensive move set meant to keep you safe against a myriad of attackers, including ones with blasters. This one emphasized an economy of movement, giving your opponents the chance to tire themselves out. As you worked through it, the stances grounded you, gave you strength, provided you with the shield you needed for both yourself and Rel. Not that she couldn't fight too, this was her preferred form, and together the two of you could hold back a tide. You hoped the day you would need to, would never come. 

This brought you to Form IV, which was your least favorite. It was too jumpy. Yes it integrated the Force more than others, but the acrobatics, ugg, why couldn't you keep your feet on the ground? Why the spinning and twisting and jumping? You recognized the techniques it offered could be useful, but you also accepted that not everyone connected with every style and you ended this one quickly, breath heavy, and muscles starting to feel the strain. 

Form V was much better. It held the kinetic potential of IV, but was more deliberate. Patience before the strike, the pause before the electricity sang through your veins. It reminded you of a storm building, of lighting reaching out only when it was ready, when it was aligned. And when it connected, it overcame anything in its way. Inhale and exhale, breath and then swiftness and surety of movement, ebb and flow. By the time you ended the kata you were well and truly breathing heavily, air moving through you, the Force building. It only took a shift of your foot, a turn of your chest, to push it into the swirling energies of the next form.

Form VI was flying. To be clear, it wasn't that throwing oneself around foolishness of IV, it was how you felt in the pilot's chair. You were an swarven hawk alight on the wind, adapting to the currents around you, drawing from land and sea and air. Powerful movements followed by delicate ones, followed by precision, followed by defense, then rounding again for an attack with the Force, your saber merely a distraction in the moment. As you drew from the strengths of the previous forms, you built towards the next and final form. Your connection to the Force radiated through you and you were sure Rel could feel what you were doing. You had made sure to lock the door to this room before beginning, only yourself and she could open it. Even spinner emergency protocols wouldn’t unlock the door. 

Your thoughts of her brought emotion- love, desire, passion. You let those come to you and used them as you finished the kata, prepared for Form VII, the last of the Jedi Forms, your favorite. It was also the one where you had to be the most careful. Thoroughly warmed up and ready, you launched into a series of intense and overpowering attacks, the Force a presence in and around you. Passion laid the foundation and emotion pushed your blade faster. Strikes hit with the intent to stop your opponent in whatever way necessary. As you pushed your muscles and your control, you kept your mind open for any sense of cold. This was a powerful form, but it could be a seductive one. The Dark could reach out to those using this, offering more power. But all you felt was joy. Joy of movement, joy of strength and power in your attacks, joy in domination of-

You paused, your body swaying slightly from the abrupt stop in movement. There, along your forearm, a trail of goosebumps raised the hair on your arms. 

In a quick movement you disignighted your blade and dropped into a meditative rest on your knees. A faint, cool breeze wanted to swirl closer. As you fought the heavy breaths from your exertion, you let the Light surround you. The cold didn’t cause you fear, that would only feed it. You merely recognized where and when it had reached out, made a mental note for future practices, and let your body come to rest in your own centered calm. You knew the Force, it was a lifelong companion and you trusted it. The Dark Side was merely a part of it, a part in which you had no interest. You let it go along its way, thankful for the lesson it brought with it.

After another few moments your breath returned to normal. You stood and walked around the room, making sure to not lose all of your momentum. 

With a soft apology you set your saber aside and reached for the holocron. The gold and blue cube came to your hands. Light, given without and echoed within, activated the device, and the corners began to rotate. As it expanded, its blue glow radiated farther out, coalescing into a hazy form of the Jedi Master who had imbued the holocron with his knowledge. 

You gave a small bow. "Master Daris."

His smaller form returned the bow. "You did not call me that before," he commented.

"But it was what you were, and I wish to honor that."

"Oh, is that so? Getting wise in our old age?"

You huffed, "never, and I'm almost as old as you were."

"Not quite yet, little shadow. However," he turned in a circle and his robes receded until he was dressed as you were used to seeing him - a faded and worn jacket, darker pants, lighter undershirt and blaster on his hip. You couldn't be sure, but he seemed more relaxed than before. Could a memory in a holocron feel more relaxed? 

Seeing him as Lu and hearing his old term of endearment hurt your heart just a little. You knew it wasn't him, not really. A bit of his personality had imprinted with the knowledge and there was a danger in seeing the form before you as anything more than an instructional tool. It still felt good to bandy a few words back and forth, though. 

"So, what will it be today?" he asked.

"Back at it, your Invisible Hand and, if I can get past that, more work on Blaster Palm."

He nodded, "very good." Then he crossed his arms in that oh so familiar gesture, and waited.

You took a breath, walked to the center of the mat, gave him a formal bow and began. On its surface it seemed like a fairly simple open hand kata. Strikes balanced with defense while turning to face multiple opponents. Breath work and balance. What made it difficult was the use of Force hidden within it. In the quick pull back from a strike you were to wrap the Force around the opponent's arm to pull them off balance. In a block to a low strike you were to hook the opponent's foot to trip them up. Lu had created a form to quietly work the Force into combat in a way not easily seen by your opponent. He’d often encountered situations he didn't want his enemy to know all of what he could do. 

As for you, well, you didn't get into too many brawls these days, but it certainly proved useful when you did. 

You worked through the form slowly, carefully. The strain of concentrating on your physical body positioning, proper form, and steady movement, all while doing the same with the Force brought a fresh sheen of sweat to your skin. The moment of stutter was coming and you knew, to concentrate on it too much would lead to the anticipated mistake, but also that it was there for a reason and you had to figure out what was causing the imbalance. You brought your foot up, stepped, turned, and dropped your weight again and there, too much, you shifted past center of gravity and now you were sitting on the mat. Normally you jumped back up to try again, but this time you just sat there, your feet still where they were supposed to be.

Lu's hazy blue form was watching you. He didn't offer comment, which usually meant he had faith you could figure it out. 

What was odd is that it wasn't even a moment you were overtly using the Force. It was just, to avoid the imagined incoming blow required a duck beneath, but from the previous position you had to sit too far back. To lean more forward would expose your head, never a good idea. 

You glanced at Lu. "Would you show me again?"

He gave a nod and gracefully worked through the kata. The moment came and he passed low, then rose back up for three more moves and then ended with a bow. _Hmm._ It could be that he was bodily built differently, but he would never put something impossible before you just to see you fail. No, he was staying quiet because you had everything you needed to figure it out. 

Frustration wanted to nag at you. It wasn't even a Force integrated moment, it should be simple. You were flexible enough, strong enough. It wasn't a matter of core work. 

"One more time?"

He shook his head “no.”

_Damn._

Ok, you got back up and walked back to the starting point. You knew this kata. You had the skills to do it. A sensation came, a warm hand on your arm, being told to breathe. So you did. In and out. Ebb and flow. Two steps, one process, breath. Maybe you were thinking about it wrong. You went through it in your mind. Each piece broke apart, a series of steps, but too staccato. Move, then Force, move, then Force. But, that wasn't how the Force worked, was it. It was in every movement, how could it not be? 

You breathed in and the Light came, strong, reassuring, ready for movement, eager. With a short bow, you began again. Breath. In and out, push and pull, strike and block and- you paused. You hadn't specifically counted the step of the pull with the Force, you'd done it as a part of the rounding moment between inhale and exhale. It wasn't separate. The Force was already there. 

You reset and started again. The Force was already around you and your opponent. It was already a part of the kata. That part of your connection to the Force that told you when and where the next attack would come from was right there waiting to tell you where to push, pull, grasp, and twist. You approached the stutter moment but let it go and merely moved, giving yourself over to that vibrating chord of precognition that thrummed through you so strongly. You dipped, dropped back and felt your arm go out and, extending from it, the Force, for it was also there for you in the kata. With a fluid motion you steadied yourself without even needing to touch the floor, the Force connecting you to the mat, offering balance and then you were up, turning, stepping, and striking while the Force pulled the person in just enough to meet your attack. And then you were still and offering your closing bow. 

You quickly reset and went through it again. The kata flowed through you, the Force a faithful and guiding companion, you just had to listen to it. You dipped low through the stutter moment again, using the Force to keep your balance, and continue on to close position and bow. 

Then you threw your hands up in victory "Yes! Woo!" This was followed by a joyful moment of dancing before you turned to the holocron. 

Lu's small form stood there with a smile on his face. "Well done, though my other students rarely take victory laps."

"Well, I definitely deserve it."

"I'm not disagreeing. Do you understand?"

The moment turned more serious. You nodded. "I was seeing the parts, not the whole."

"It is possible to hyperfocus, in whatever we are doing, and that's when we often miss the whole reason we started the action in the first place. You already possess the skills to fight with the Force unseen. But that can cause you to become blind to it yourself." 

The smile stayed on your face as you reset and did it again. Now you realized, all you had to do was breathe and listen. That was it. The Force was there for you in all things. This time the kata moved like air through you, connecting you and your opponent. You could almost see them, your mind open to the full syncope of the action. 

You finished, gave a bow, and let yourself enjoy your success. 

"Now, on to the next."

Lu's form shook his head in frustration. "I am obligated to remind you that they make armor that serves the same function."

"Since when do you not want me to grow as a person?"

"Since I had to sit here, fully activated, and watch you lay on the floor unconscious for 20 minutes last time."

"I can set you aside."

"No, no, I will watch."

"It's going to go better this time, I promise."

You trotted off to the side to grab the stand and the training remote you had attached to the top of it. Wired to the grey sphere was a small hold-out blaster. It had taken you a little bit to get the two to sync, but it was functional and it would send the shots at you at random times, when you were ready for that, which you weren't, yet. It was secured to a post because you were also not ready for it to be flying about and shooting actual blaster bolts at you. You chuckled, it was a work in progress.

You activated the sphere and its lights blinked on. Your wrist comm beeped a moment later as the control signal synced. You then slid a fresh gas clip into the small blaster and set it to stun. At least you didn't need to have any shielding up. Stun shots, generally, wouldn't put a hole through anything or set something on fire. 

You stepped back a few meters, continuing to breathe. You reached for the Force, but this time instead of letting it fill you, you asked it to bring you more intune with the room around you. What were the natural energies already there? With no storms, and few people close by, you found yourself settling into the calm of the moment. The floor beneath you provided foundation, strength. The planet beneath the floor provided grounding. It absorbed so much energy every single moment, from the sun, from its own internal geologic processes, from people and ships and the winds that traveled between systems. 

You were as the planet; secure, steadfast, able to weather any storm. The stun shot was intended to overpower the nervous system. An individual organism, on its own, could only take so much input. Overload that and one can shut down the higher functions within the system. 

But, you smiled, you were not alone. You were connected to that grand lattice work of energy. You could disperse the stun as it reached you, letting the energy roll past and through without affecting you, at least, that was the idea. And you were close to succeeding. 

You took several more breaths, sunk further into the Force, and then tapped your wrist comm. The training sphere beeped and the blaster discharged the circular wave of energy. Time slowed as you focused. The wave approached. You tried to stay loose, to be open to the minute guidance of Force, but at the last moment you tensed, instinctually anticipating the shot. 

The wave hit, and you came to consciousness a few minutes later. A painful static shot through your joints and it took a moment to shake off the heaviness that seemed to weigh your whole body down. You checked your comm. 

"Hey, only five minutes, I’m getting better at this!"

Lu's form just stood there quietly, waiting. 

"I'll try again." 

You faced the blaster, focused into the Force and tapped your wrist comm. The sphere beeped, the blaster fired. Time slowed, the wave came, and you used the Force to step quickly out of the way. 

"Damn it!" 

"Is getting stunned that bad?" Lu asked. 

"What?"

He looked at you expectantly, "are you afraid of getting stunned? "

"I-" were you? "I mean, it's not that bad. I just, don't want Rel to find me on the floor again."

"Ah, so you worry what she will think."

"I don't want her to worry. I also don't want to look," you took a breath, "foolish. I'm strong, I've almost mastered your teachings. I _should_ be able to do this."

"Do you know how many Jedi could do what you are trying to do?"

You shook your head. "No, not that I've heard of."

"I can think of less than a handful who could succeed. All were Masters and one of them was well over 100 years old. Which means?"

"I'm setting the bar pretty high for myself."

"Well, yes, but what else?"

"That I have time, and sometimes that, plus persistence is what is needed?"

Lu chucked, "OK, also yes, but I can promise that most never even tried. Because…?"

_Are you kidding me?_ "Look, if you're about to lecture me on the use of a lightsaber in this situation, I-"

He said your name, sharply, and you quieted. "Yes, we have lightsabers, we have a tool that works well when applied to this situation and," he held up a hand forestalling your incoming interruption, "you do not have that as easily available. So, you are adapting to the reality around you." His tone softened. "I am proud of you. Most Jedi never look beyond the teachings they receive as younglings and padawans. You have sought out knowledge on your own for as long as I have known you. This," he motioned to the training emitter/blaster contraption, "is very 'you' and I think you should keep going. Just, stop worrying about anything outside of this room. It will all still be there. Your only opponents are before you and-" he paused, looking at you expectantly.

You smiled and gave a nod "-within me."

A deep breath moved through you as you turned to face the blaster again. The Force moved about and through you, ready, waiting. You tapped your comm, raised your hand and closed your eyes. Time moved with you in the Force. You didn't need to see to know the blaster fired, its ripples reaching you in the Force ahead of the blue rings of light. The incoming wave of energy impacted on your hand first, or it tried to. But you were of the Force. You were energy. It tingled and bit along your skin, passing your wrist, your forearm, your elbow, your shoulder. It tumbled along the surface like rough water over stone. It splashed against your torso, seeking any crack or crevice that might give the energy purchase. Stars sparked across your vision, a numbness radiated down your spine. The strength in your right leg gave way and you dropped to a knee. But your focus remained, a monument to the calm you felt in your core. The energy rolled the rest of the way past you and then dissipated into nothing. Joints ached, your pulse pounded in your head a moment, but that too passed. 

You just knelt there another beat, and then threw your hands up in victory. You did it! You stood and felt yourself sway. That was fine. Another breath, another moment of calm, you steadied. 

A wide grin spread on your face. You had to tell Rel. You raced from the room, reaching out to find her. After a moment you could sense where she was, the main hall. You jogged excitedly down the hallways, past the bridge, the kitchen, the offshoot to employee lodging. 

"Rel!" You yelled her name as soon as the interior doors to the Blue Beam main hall slid open. She was at the far side and you managed to get out a very excited "I did it!" before realizing why she was still there. Maybe you didn't sense him because you were tired. Maybe you didn't sense him because you were too focused on her. Maybe you didn't sense him because the Force thought it was fun to spin you about.

Whatever the reason, you found yourself coming to an abrupt stop next to Rel and less than a meter from Admiral Thrawn, who looked at you with curiosity. 

Now, your brain normally functions just fine. It takes input, gives you output, keeps you breathing and your heart beating. But you were pretty sure it had just failed to do three of those functions. Your heart, however, beat just fine. The second realization to hit you was that you were dressed in your workout gear, the tank top revealing much more of the linear burn scar that ran down the left side of your neck and chest than you normally show to anyone. 

You met his eyes, and to his credit, they stayed on yours. While his mind might have been processing the moment, something told you he had yet to make final conclusions. Though, it was clear he was not going to talk first.

I, um, so, hi” you were the height of eloquence. "You're still here." 

"I am," he replied. 

_Come on, get it together._ “Did the afternoon run go well?" 

"As good as one can go, without success." He was still guarded, but after another moment he seemed to give into his curiosity. "And you? It would appear your afternoon was more satisfactory?"

Oh, right, the reason you were there. The reason you’d come running into the hall. Your mind finally started to get back to speed. You turned to Rel and a smile crept back to your lips. "I got through the kata." _"I blocked a stun shot, mostly!"_

She gave your arm a squeeze. "Congratulations". _"On both."_ You could tell she wanted to say more, but you had an audience. 

"You are learning martial forms?" His attention intensified. 

You gave a nod. "Practiced since I was 10, but I'm always trying to learn something new."

"Very good," came a quick reply. Then the barest of a smile followed. "I mean, it is commendable to seek to better oneself." 

You had the distinct impression that was not, in fact, what he meant. An eagerness lingered, he wanted to say more, but something held him back. Now you were curious. You’d presumed some training, but how proficient was he? And what would be the best way to find-

“She works herself too hard, is what she does,” Rel said playfully, drawing some of that attention back to herself. “But the day is done and it is time to rest. I hope you have a safe trip back to your ship, my dear Admiral, and we will see you bright and early in the morning.”

He straightened, set his hands at his sides and gave a curt bow with the pivot at the waist. It was so familiar a cue that you could not stop yourself from responding with the same. You rose back up with a look that was a mix of shock and a challenge accepted. It took every remaining kilogram of willpower to not tell him that he “would pay for that.” 

If you didn’t know what satisfaction looked like on him before, you sure did now. “Thank you.” That damned smile appeared again. “A good evening to you both.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters so far, I truly hope you enjoyed it.  
> Thank you for reading!


	7. Flanking Line

“No stormtroopers?" You asked as you looked over the mix of olive and black uniforms lining up in front of you. Thrawn had brought down all of his crew that would be participating in the scanning mission so you could give them the run-down on your ranch and your rules. 16 in total, a mix of men and women, were taking a moment to stare at the blue hall around them. But, looking at them, you’d realized what was absent. It was the second day he'd come down without a stormtrooper escort. You hoped it was a good sign.

Thrawn stood beside you and inclined his head slightly. "It seems they will not be necessary." 

A thought came and with it a bit of playfulness. "Excellent," you said, rubbing your hands together. You leaned closer "then my nerf révolution can proceed as planned." 

He paused, studying you. Several responses were considered before he finally spoke, his words coming with with an odd hesitancy, "but if you tell me, then you lose any advantage that comes with an unexpected attack." You could feel him waiting, curious if he gave the correct response. 

"Ahh", you shook your fists at the ceiling. "Foiled again." You flashed him a supportive smile. "I'll get you next time."

Another beat as he worked his way through the playful moment. It definitely was not something he was used to navigating, but it brought a warmth to your chest that he was trying. You hadn't had any dreams of note last night. But you were sure it was only a temporary calm. That thought brought an odd excitement. What did the Force have coming for you?

Finally he settled on a response. "I can almost guarantee your bovine success, but you must run your battleplans by me, so I may advise on the best way to defeat me."

You couldn’t help the chuckle that came with your reply. "Ah, good sir," you gave a bow, "I see you are a worthy adversary." 

He returned the bow, a slight sense of almost, enjoyment coming from him. Then a woman in an olive green uniform approached with a rank badge that matched Commander Vanto's. Admiral Thrawn straightened as she came to formally stand before you.

"Ah, good. This is Commander Faro, she is captain of the Chimera. Commander this is-"

"The Boss, so I've heard." She did not seem amused at your moniker. 

You gave a small bow, smile pleasant, though you wanted to rise to that particular challenge. 

"I hope Commander Vanto has spoken well of all of us at Blue Beam." You did your best to be polite, but Rel was better at diplomacy.

Her posture remained rigid. "He has, so far."

It took a bit of self control not to laugh. Was this woman serious? Then you realized that yes, she probably was most of the time. You took the tiniest of steps forward, as did she. Something had her stressed, unnerved, you could feel the frustration coming from her. What was it? You considered several responses, trying to suss out the ones that led to conflict and which ones would not. Movement next to you reminded you he was still there and Thrawn’s presence pushed you in a new direction. You stood straighter, calmer, your accent receded a little, “I feel as though we have gotten off on the wrong foot. The hospitality I offer is genuine and I will do what I can to make your time here as brief as possible.” You gave a small smile, your wild space accent picking back up again. “I know, we’re a little less civilized and orderly than on that ship of yours up there, but until you find that thing you’re lookin’ for, you’re stuck with us. So, I have one request.”

She narrowed her eyes, trying to get a read on you. “Which is?”

“You got a problem, you got something to say, you say it to me. My staff are good people, so I take the hits around here. If something needs resolving-” your tone softened, “I’m the one you bring in.”

You watched her hackles rise and then fall as she understood your meaning. She may have faith in her Empire, but surely by that rank she had to have seen the methods they used to get their results. For all your bluster, she seemed to recognize what you had just offered. And you meant it. Life could go sideways pretty quickly and you would shield your people, if it did, and if you could.

You took a step back, which she mirrored. She cleared her throat. “I think that sounds reasonable. Admiral?” 

He was studying you again, his mind working through something. Finally he nodded. “It is noted, and I believe we are ready,” he said motioning to the two rows of people now lined up before you. 

You gave a nod to both of them and stepped over to take stage in front of the group. With each step your smile grew and swagger filled your posture. You gestured to the hall around them.

“Hello and welcome to Blue Beam Ranch. We have over 100,000 hectares of land and the Ranch complex covers roughly 50 of those, so I hope you have your walking shoes on today.” You knew they had standard issue boots, but you would have fun where you could. “I am the General Manager and owner here so that makes me the ‘Boss’ and you will address me as such. I am joined here by my staff, this is Miss Rel Devora,” you motioned and she stepped away from talking to Commander Vanto to stand at your side. “She helps me run this ranch. Her voice counts as my own.”

Then you gestured to the side. “We also have Je’ors Toma.” The human reached up to tip his hat from where he was leaning against the wall. His lack of smile, covering of stubble, and general worn look set him up as the cover of half a dozen credit-store novels about wild space nerf rustlers. And to his credit, he was just as tough, right up until you handed him a newborn orbak and he melted like nerf butter in a hot pan. But damn, that man could cook. “If you like the food, you give the compliments to him.”

“And next to him is Ketl Botros.” The Zabrak seemed a little more excited to have people around and he gave a friendly wave to the group. He was definitely the youngest of your full-timers, though his horns were fully set in. His skin was a mixed pattern of tans that reminded you of a desert. “If you like not getting surprised by dangerous thunderstorms, you give those compliments to him.”

“And rounding out the resident staff is Myra Gwilym.” You glanced back and an older Mirialan stepped from the staff entrance in the back. At her side trotted two large kath hounds. One was a rich red with pale horns peeking out of the fur on its head and the other was stark black with dark horns that had been cut short. The two hounds padded along at hip height, eyes bright and alert on the people in the room. If there was one person here who could show you up, it was her. She was striking. Her skin was a deep emerald and her eyes a bright violet. Long black hair flowed in intricate braids down her back. As for facial tattoos, she had one lone stripe that went from the middle of her lower lip vertically down her chin and throat. Now, tattoos, for Mirialans, were placed where they were talented and Myra’s hands and arms were covered with geometric shapes that continued up past the rolled sleeves of her dark shirt. They represented her extensive work with, and tending to, animals. Nerfs, orbaks, kath hounds, hell, she was almost as good with animals as you were and she didn’t have the Force. 

A smile played at her lips, she always did like to make an entrance. She moved with grace and purpose and if anyone was going to get confused for a Jedi in the room, it was her. Which she knew and had used to shield you on several occasions. She came to a stop next to Je’ors and Ketl, who both bowed to her magnificence, to which she then shoved both of them playfully. Ketl knelt to give the red kath hound a playful scritch behind both ears, while she passed some information off to Je’ors. Yeah, you had a good crew. This was a pretty good life. 

“Oh, excuse me, am I late?” A slightly synthesized voice came from the guest house side. Shuffling in, a silver TC protocol droid made his way to you. 

“Not at all ‘TeeCee’ you’re here just in time.”

“Ah, excellent.” He turned to the crowd. “I am TC-117, head of guest relations at Blue Beam Ranch. I speak any language you may require and know the complete history of this ranch, of this geographic region of Dantooine, of the local flora and fauna, as well as any needed information on nerfs, orbaks, ranching or any of the local customs or curiosities. If you log a schedule with us, I will be able to keep you updated on any activities and can be available to remind you of meal and preferred wake-up times. I can also show you the safest routes to shelter should there be a fire or a spinner warning. I am here to serve. Please let me know how I can make you stay here at Blue Beam the best it can possibly be.” 

“Thank you TC.” You gestured to the hall around you. “This is the main hall, and if we need to talk to everyone, this is where we will meet. Behind you are the main doors, the red ones. Your shuttle, if you’ve got one here, will be parked on the pad outside there and you’re welcome to come and go at whatever hour you need. Though, if a storm is blowing through, we ask everyone to stay under a covered roof wherever you are within the ranch. That being said, we will start with safety. Lightning is the biggest killer around this time of year. If you’re out on a speeder and get a recall back to the ranch, you do not push on, you do not try to finish your run, you return here. There isn’t a speeder made that can take the bolts these storms put out. And they can strike up to 20 kilometers away. You get hit by one, hell, one hits within 15 meters of you, you will die. So, it’s me and my staff’s job to make sure that doesn’t happen. If I see anyone joking about it or not taking it seriously, you are gone from my ranch.” 

You looked to Thrawn. They looked to Thrawn. He looked over the group and then gave you a nod, which you returned. 

“The other danger, and let’s hope we don’t need to respond to one, is a spinner. These big storms can spawn intense vortices that come down as funnel clouds. A big enough one could tear this building apart. Fortunately, we usually get a little warning. But if you hear this-” you tapped your wrist comm and a loud siren started to sound. It was clear that the warning was playing across the ranch. “You stop what you’re doing and you come here.” Only a few moments after the sound started, the floor beneath your feet vibrated and one of the long lines of the carved wood panels in the floor began to pull apart, revealing steps down. “This is a storm shelter. It’s deep enough and reinforced, so you’ll be safe. It’s got its own independent power supply, lights, a comm and enough space to fit everyone comfortably. There are three of these around the complex, I’ll show you the others as we walk. This one has another set of steps to doors outside, just in case the roof comes down and blocks this entrance. You go down in and wait for the all clear. The doors will open once the storm has passed, and even if you lose power, there is a manual crank.”

“Does everyone understand?”

You got a surprisingly quick, in unison, “Yes ma’am” in response. At least they would be less independent than most of your usual guests. 

“Alright, moving on, let’s go.” You turned and led the group towards the guest quarters. Rel let you lead and drifted to the back to resume her conversation with Commander Vanto. Admiral Thrawn and Commander Faro also stayed to the back. TC started to follow, but just threw up his hands at the pace you were setting and returned to his usual standby position in the main hall. 

“This is the guest house. There are 20 rooms, so just enough for all of you, though you are welcome to pair up or divide them how you like. With the storms coming through, we will not be having any other guests for several months. There is a formal meeting room with a holoprojector, if it is needed. We have a small gym, a game room, a room for holovids, a sauna and a pool. All are enclosed, so are available at any time. I do have limited staff at the moment, so I ask that you please clean up after yourselves.” You walked them through their portion of the ranch, pointing out the various rooms. The line of hallways brought you back towards the center of the complex and you opened doors into a decent sized dining hall. The long tables could fit up to 50 people, but you rarely had that many at the ranch. “Any formal meals will be in here. We’ll have a welcoming dinner in here tonight, as is tradition when we have new guests. On the other side is the kitchen that feeds this room, you are welcome to use it as you like. You can take meals in your rooms or the main hall, but please do not eat in any of the animal areas. Trust me, that’s for your sake.” You heard a few chuckles. 

A door at the far side slid open and you walked them back into the main hall. “That is the guest portion and you are free to move about it. Now, I will show you the other parts of the ranch, but I must stress that this is a working ranch and there are plenty of places that pose a danger if you don’t know what you’re doing. If you are caught in any of these areas without either escort or expressed permission from me, you are off my ranch. Come on.”

You walked them through a door clearly labeled for “Staff Only” and led them past the secondary kitchen, the bridge, and to a more open, yet still covered, hallway that branched off to the larger barns. You came to the first one and stepped inside. “Just so you are aware, this is where we have our main transport and secondary nerf transport vehicle.” Parked in the large space was a Ghtroc 720 light freighter, it’s appearance almost turtle-like with its front dual-side engines and then mirrored escape pod protrusions from the back. The cockpit being dead-centered in the front completed the terrapin look. Sure, it wasn’t a flashy YT, but it flew just fine for you. Next to it was a slightly longer and bulkier transport specialized to move small to medium-sized herds of nerfs. You could individually stall them or have open space for a group. It also worked for your orbaks. 

"You might see these coming or going on occasion. I don't have any animal transports planned, but you never know when something might come up or a neighbor needs a hand."

A few distant beeps came from the first ship and a one-meter-tall, ancient looking droid came rolling over. It had a square-ish, angular body with three legs that ended in wheels and a squat saucer-shaped top. The metal finish was a mix of copper and brass, though the finish was worn dull from years of use. The singular sensor eye swiveled with the saucer head of the droid. 

"Hey, Sunri, how's Gracie today? "

You knelt to give her a pat on the 'head'. To which she responded with a series of beeps. 

"Good, good. Thank you for keeping her in shape for me." Binary wasn’t your best language, but you'd had her enough time that you'd learned to understand her, mostly. 

“Now, I know it’s usually quiet this time of year-”

The droid let out a series of beeps that sounded less happy. 

“-but, our friends here from the Imperial Navy need to spend some time on our land. So I would like yo-”

Sunri wheeled past you to roll up to and along the line of Imperials. Her eye swivelled over each person; she definitely seemed to be looking them over. You trotted up behind her, a slight bit of concern coming to you. She was the oddest droid you knew and very much acted of her own mind. If she decided there was someone here she didn’t like, then you were in for troub- 

The Force gave you a warning a split second before the telltale sound of her shifting components to bring out a tool came to you. It wasn’t pretty but you jumped over her, blocking her from her target, Admiral Thrawn. 

She fought against your legs, trying to push past, her arc-welder out and sparking. You spun and dropped, your hands on her head, pulling the one eye to meet yours. “Sun, stop. Sunri, look at me. They are not a threat.” 

She responded with another scathing series of beeps that you knew was her correcting you, insisting that ‘He’ was a threat. 

“Sun, please.” You could deactivate her, if you had to, but you had built so much trust with the little droid. Instead you reached out with the Force. It was an unusual instinct, but you could almost feel something coming from her. You put a hand on the flat front panel just as you felt Rel put a hand on your shoulder. An internal warning came that you were using it too close to the others. Guess you were about to find out if any of them had latent sensitivities. 

Sunri still tried to fight against you, but in your grounded stance before her, she was never going to get past. You offered peace. You offered a desire to understand. It felt like there was a tiniest little spark there before you and you offered her Light, though you couldn’t quite tell if your Force was going anywhere. Slowly she settled and put away her welding tool. 

You stood and turned, and just caught the Admiral pulling his hand away from his sidearm. _Kriff_

“Please accept my apologies.” You looked between him and the two Commanders at his side. 

Sunri let out a series of beeps behind you that was her insisting she was not sorry, at all, in the slightest.

“Sometimes she likes people and sometimes she doesn’t and we don’t always know why. Please do not take offence.” 

Another series of beeps came from behind you that ‘HE’ should absolutely take offence. 

You turned to her. “Sunri,” you said her name sharply. “You are not going to win this one. Please, go back to the Canter’s Grace. We’ll talk later. I promise.”

Her eye looked at you, swiveled to look at Thrawn, then Rel, then back at you. After another moment she turned and wheeled away, back towards the 720. 

A heavy sigh moved through you and Thrawn definitely seemed to be trying to process the moment. 

“I genuinely don’t know what that was about, but I would advise not coming in here without me around.”

He gave you a nod. “Noted.” 

While Commander Vanto seemed slightly amused, the look Commander Faro gave you was less than friendly. _Great._

“Alright,” you cleared your throat, “moving on.”

The rest of the tour was uneventful. You showed them the hay and grain barns, the medical facility, then the tool and tractor barn. Most of the nerf barns were empty, but the ones with the calving females turned up enough noses that you were pretty sure no one would be tempted to come back to that on their own. Lastly were the Orbaks, who were mostly turned out for the morning, or being worked. You considered offering intros, but honestly, you’d had enough of creatures with personalities having unexpected interactions. And if things went bad with an Orbak, it was 800 kilos and 4 sharp tusks of trouble. 

Then you were back to the main hall and the people were dispersing to figure out lodging and to prep for the day’s run. Finally it was just you and Rel and she gave you a look. 

“Yeah, I’ll go figure it out,” you said.

“You want me to come?”

“Yeah, but hang back, let me get the conversation started.”

She nodded and followed you to the hangar barn. You walked up the ramp to the Canter’s Grace and entered your and Rel’s ship. You could hear the droid working at something further in, but you just sat down on the deck and waited. After a moment you called out. “Sun?”

The beeping paused and after another moment the droid came wheeling around the corner. 

She seemed hesitant to approach all the way. 

“Hey,” you tapped the space next to you. “Come here, what’s wrong?”

She hesitated another moment and then finished the distance, stopping in front of you. She let out a series of beeps. 

“Protect me? From what? You know I can protect myself.” And she did. She even had a space in her leg for your lightsaber, if you needed it. 

More beeps. 

“I know he’s dangerous. They all are. But there’s nothing I can do about it right now. They’re looking for something from the Clone Wars.” 

A small antenna came from the top of her head. 

You chuckled. “Thanks for the offer, but I don’t know what it is.” You gave her a pat on the head, then grew more serious. “Hey, why him? I know he’s different, but is it because he’s an admiral?”

Her eye seemed to look between yours, but she remained silent. You honestly didn’t know how old she was and you’d never pried about her memory banks. But, she had something close to instincts and generally was right.

Rel walked up and Sunri’s eye swiveled to her for a moment. She sat and took your hand. Sunri gave her a few happy beeps, then a few sad ones. 

“I know,” Rel replied.

“Look, Sunri, I’ve had a vision.”

The little droid wheeled back a few paces before returning to sit in front of you both. Concerned beeps came from her and a question.

You nodded. “Yeah, he was in it.”

The little droid thought before responding, and when she did, you couldn't quite make it out. 

Rel leaned closer, trying to more precisely translate. “She says, ‘all that surrounds him is chaos.’”

You looked at the droid. “What do you mean, Sun?”

But the droid just shook her head and wheeled off. 

“I-”, but she was gone. 

You let your head fall against Rel’s shoulder. 

“What is going on?”

She just shook her head and rested it against yours. “I don’t know. Maybe she’s finally malfunctioning. Maybe-”

“No. No, let's just give her some time. She’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

“She’s,” Rel hesitated, “She’s just a droid.” 

“She’s more than that and you know it.”

“Is that why you tried to use the Force on her earlier?” 

You nodded slightly. “Yeah, I mean, I’m not sure. Maybe it's hard for me to imagine something with that much personality and independent thought being just programming and parts. I don’t know, there’s gotta be something more going on. I thought I felt something. Have you ever-?”

“No, not that I’ve sensed. And I’ve been around a good many droids.” 

“Hmm.”

Rel pulled you close and gave a kiss to your forehead. “Look, if nothing else, she is your friend and clearly she wants to protect you. I can get behind both of those instincts. We’ll just keep her clear of a certain Admiral and when they leave, we’ll go on a trip somewhere, stretch Gracie’s legs.”

You smiled. “I like the sound of that.”

After another minute you both got up and left the ship.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey look, droids! That's definitely a part of the Star Wars universe that I always remember exists and plan into my stories, yup, definitely. I hope you like them.
> 
> Also, apologies for the slight delay, my goal is at least a new chapter a week, but life got busy (and a little rough) and I had to focus my mental bandwidth elsewhere. This fic is never far from my thoughts, though, and it is moving forward. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Thank you for reading!


	8. Golden Hour

Rel went with the speeder that day and you just kept yourself busy around the ranch. By the late afternoon Ketl gave you comm a buzz and you walked to the porch that gave the best view of the western land. Yeah, a storm was building, wasn’t going to be too intense, but it was enough. You trotted to the bridge, confirmed what you saw on radar, and gave the recall. They’d gotten through most of the day at least. But, with no interruptions, you assumed they hadn’t found anything on the scanner. 

You made your way to the kitchen. Je'ors was already at work and you set to helping him. The nerf brisket had been smoking all day and was just about done. The savory smell filled the space. Sweet root vegetables, along with greener selections, all needed to be cut and prepared. A bean and lentil mix were just going into the pot to simmer. Dessert items could be prepped, the tables set. There were several ovens and cooktops and Je'ors was just settling into a rhythm. You fit right in, grabbing spices and following recipes you had pretty much memorized at this point. The first meal for guests was one of the best ones you prepared, second only to the last. 

You were about 20 minutes in when you felt them, a group approaching. You glanced over to see Thrawn leading six of his crew into the kitchen. 

"Dinner will be ready in about 30 minutes" you called out. 

He gave a nod, but continued in. "We are here to help, if we can be of assistance."

You glanced at Je'ors, who gave a small smile back at you, one you weren't sure what for. Then he looked to the group. "Sure, I'll put you to work." And he began to give instructions. 

Thrawn approached. "Can I help with what you are preparing?"

You glanced down at the floured surface before you and then at his uniform. "Well, I'm making biscuits and you can, but you're gonna get flour on your uniform, there's no way around that."

"Ah, I see."

He stepped back, his fingers working at the front of the jacket. In the next moment he had it off and to the side, neatly folded away from the mess of cooking. Beneath it was a simple black undershirt that showed the length of his arms and Maker help you, those were some lovely lines. The darker color also suited him far better than the drab olive.

He focused all of his attention back on you and you found yourself having to swallow before you could speak again. 

"Alright, this is the best biscuit recipe this side of the Outer Rim. Here's how you make it." And you walked him through the steps, mixing the dry ingredients, cutting in the chilled shortening, adding the wet until the dough just formed and then kneading carefully. He followed your directions precisely, his movements specific and true. The rest of the room kind of fell away as you settled into a rhythm. You showed him the rolling pin and definitely did not steal glances at his forearms when he used it to spread the dough. Then you were cutting out the circles and prepping the baking sheet. 

It was pleasant, having him next to you, working in tandem towards a common goal. You asked a few questions about the day and he answered them, but did not offer more. Not that he avoided talking, he just seemed to see no need to continue if the question was answered. 

You put the last of the batches into the oven and turned to him. 

"How?" He had the barest of sprinkling of flour on him, but for the most part was untouched by the white dusting. You, on the other hand, had splotches all over your shirt, on your arms, and you were pretty sure in lines on your face from where you'd pushed your hair back. A devious smile crept across your face, to which he furrowed his brow.

Then you paused, Sunri's warning coming to you. Your smile retreated and you turned back to the work surface to begin to clean up.

"What is it?" he asked, his voice quieter.

"No it's," you paused and pulled the smile back on. "You remained unmarred by the flour. It is commendable."

"But that bothers you?"

"No, I-" but you didn't know what to say. You had let a fun moment pass and were now starting to regret not acting on the playful impulse. Didn’t matter, you had to say something. You took a breath, but he beat you to it.

"Ah, my lack of messiness implies I did not fully participate." To which he put his entire hand into the loose flour and then planted the hand firmly on the left side of his chest. When he pulled the hand away there was a very stark, white imprint on the black fabric. "Does that suffice?"

Where in the galaxy did this man come from? Laughter rose up and tumbled forth, and along with it, a little spark of joy. You met his eyes and could feel warmth filling your chest. “Yeah, yeah it does.” 

He studied you for another moment, his eyes looking over your face, something about your countenance holding his attention. Finally, with his own smile peeking through, he said, “good.”

Then he turned and retrieved his coat. In short order it was back on and secured closed. His posture remained as formal as ever as he checked in with his crew and Je’ors. 

Rel came in just as you were finishing cleaning up. A smile still sat haphazard on your lips, as if tipsy. She glanced at you, started to help clean up, then paused and returned her attention to your face. 

“What is it?”

You looked at her. “Nothing, I’m fine.”

She placed both hands on the side of your face and turned you to her. “You’re a terrible liar.”

“No, I'm a good liar,” you insisted. 

“Well, not to me. Something happened.”

“Nothing happened.” 

She just looked at you.

“Nothing happened,” you insisted. 

“Yeah, sure.” She looked into your eyes. “Something with flour.” 

“You got me,” you held up your still dirty hands, “I made the biscuits.” 

She eyed you, but you knew she wouldn’t pry unless she thought something was really wrong. Could she see into your mind? Yes. Would she without asking? Not without having a very good reason.

All you had to do was keep your eyes forward and not glance in Thrawn’s direction. Which you valiantly succeeded in avoiding. Finally she gave a low growl and stepped back. “I’m going to figure it out.”

“Figure what out?” came a friendly voice, as Commander Vanto walked by. 

Rel used her index finger to indicate everything about you. “Something’s afoot.” 

You held your hands out, exasperation tingeing your voice. “Nothing is ‘a foot’ or ‘a hand’” you almost lost it at that word, but held it together, barely. “Or any other body part. I made the biscuits.”

His brown eyes looked you over, then he smiled, “and they smell wonderful, thank you for making them.” 

“See.” You turned to put the tools away, but faintly heard him say “I’m on it,” to Rel before joining his crew in the next room.

“And what was that about?” you said, throwing the same attitude back at her. 

She just gave the sweetest response of, “it’s nothing,” and also walked towards the tables to finish setting them. 

For a moment you considered that fact that you could go to the stables, saddle up an Orbak, and just ride away. But no, turning and running wouldn't save you. Not that you needed saving from anything. Your stomach grumbled in order to get in the last word. _Fine._ You relented and let your steps lead you towards whatever fate held in store. 

The sound of a fork against your glass brought all attention to you. “A toast.” The twenty something other people all raised their glasses. Food was on the table and all seated. Thrawn sat across from you in the middle of the long table. Rel was to your left and Je'ors to your right. Commander Vanto sat across from Rel, to Thrawn's right, with Commander Faro to his left. The others filled in the rest of the table and the one behind Thrawn. You let the silence linger as you put the words together. 

“To finding something lost, all those years ago.  
To force of will and a little luck, to guide the hunter’s bow.  
To finding something new, though we know not what it be.  
To a warm and safe return, for a ship that’s out at sea.  
May we find a friend or roustabout, and know we’re not alone.  
With food and drink and merriment, you are welcome in our home.”  
You felt the words linger and then lock into place somewhere deep within you. The Force was listening. 

“Hear, hear.” Commander Vanto was the first to speak, but was quickly joined by the others in what felt a genuine response of appreciation. 

As you sat, Thrawn leaned forward, “did you compose that just now?”

“Yes, mostly, my mom loved seafaring imagery, so I try to slip it in when it’s appropriate. She gave the best toasts. But yes, the rest was me.”

He thought for another moment, then gave a nod. “On behalf of the ISD Chimera and her crew, I accept and thank you for your words. They shall be remembered.” 

You sat back a little. That felt a lot more formal than you’d expected. Then you noticed Commander Vanto bring out a datapad from, somewhere, and begin typing into it. “What are you doing?”

Thrawn answered, “we have traditions of our own. Formal well wishes, honestly given, are recorded and displayed either digitally or engraved somewhere within the ship. The first words on display are always from the ship’s christening, but visiting dignitaries or honored guests may speak well enough that their words are recorded. Thank you for adding to it.” 

"Oh." He thought your words were worth remembering? It was a simple toast, adapted to the audience. How long had it been since they had gone home? Did a Star Destroyer have a home? Did Thrawn have a home? The last question caught you off guard. You knew almost nothing about him. 

You noticed people were still holding back from the food. "Please begin, there is plenty for everyone.” 

They needed no further prompting and all began reaching for the large serving dishes running down the center of the tables. TC-117 shuffled around filling drinks. It was quiet for another few minutes. You glanced around, of the people you could see, they seemed to be enjoying the meal. 

It was Commander Vanto who next broke the silence. “Ok, I gotta ask, what was that with your droid?” His words brought a nervous chuckle from a few of the people. 

Commander Faro leaned in. “Agreed, it’s behavior was,” she considered one word, but chose another, “curious.” You saw Thrawn relax ever so slightly at her word choice. 

You nodded. “I wish I had a better answer for you. But I don’t know. I did have a talk with her, but she didn’t say.” You shook your head. “Sometimes she takes a liking to some and a dislike to others.”

“Disliking?” Commander Faro said. “It came at the Admiral with an arc welder.”

Commander Vanto looked at you quizzically, “What do you mean it didn’t say. Are there any incidents of this behavior previously in its memory databanks?”

“I,” you thought, “She hasn’t been this aggressive before, not without the situation being much more hostile, and I let her tell me what she needs. I haven’t gone into her memory unless she’s asked or offered.” This brought several odd stares your way. 

Rel leaned over to whisper to you. “See, I told you it was weird.” 

It was Thrawn’s turn to speak. “Where did you acquire this droid and did you perform a memory wipe at that time?”

“Hold on, okay,” you held up your hands. “Look, I got into a nasty spot on Nar Shaddaa and this little droid came out of nowhere and saved my life. After that, she just sort of adopted me. I went to check her memory, but she asked me not to, and, well, I wouldn't be breathing if it wasn’t for her. So I honored her request.” You were still getting several dubious stares. 

You heard a whispered and slightly fearful, “Nar Shaddaa?” from the other table.

“It, um, ‘she’s’ a T7?” Commander Vanto asked. 

You nodded.

“Why do you call her Sunri? I haven’t been able to figure out a number-letter combination that would produce that sound.”

You shrugged, “it’s what she asked me to call her.”

“Your droid named herself?” 

You looked at the people sitting across from you. “So it would seem.” 

“And you are not at all curious about the history of this droid?” Thrawn asked. 

“Oh sure, very much so. But I find it takes a lot for me to break someone’s trust once it’s built. That kind of makes for poor companions.”

“‘She’ is a friend?” He truly looked puzzled.

“Yes, she is.” 

“Wait, they stopped making that line of droid just before the Clone Wars. How old is she?” Commander Vanto asked.

You gave him a smile. “That is an excellent question. Based on some of her comments and on parts needing repairs, I would say she’s at least 300 years old, if not 500. Maybe older. I keep her well oiled and clean. All of her tools work and she’s excellent help with the Canter’s Grace.”

“300! Most droids are recommended wiping and resetting on a maximum 10 year cycle. Glitches and errors can build up over time. How is she still even functional?”

You gave a shrug. “She hasn’t failed me yet. And maybe she’s improving with experience.”

“Maybe she belongs in a museum.”

“You try and put her there.” That at least earned a chuckle from the table. 

Commander Vanto grew more serious. “Why do you think she was so focused on Admiral Thrawn?”

“Again, that I do not know.” You glanced at him. “Have you ever seen her before? Or a droid like her?”

He just shook his head. “I have not.” 

“Maybe she just doesn't like Admirals.” Je’ors offered. 

“Or the color blu-” Ketl began to offer what he clearly thought would be a humorous comment, but your death stare in his direction caused the sentence to die before completion. 

“Whatever it is, I will figure it out. It is unacceptable behavior, but I will give her time to explain.”

“Please advise me when you do.” Thrawn spoke plainly, no anger to it. You couldn't blame him for being curious. 

“So,” Rel spoke up, “How are things on your ship? Do you have plans for what the rest of your crew will do while you are down here?”

You felt that spike of frustration from Commander Faro again. 

Thrawn continued, “the Chimera is fit and fully capable of meeting whatever needs may arise. But we are taking this time to attend to a few repairs, update technical competencies, and run some more specific drills that are not as easily performed while we are under way.”

“Ah, I am glad you have things to fill the time.”

He inclined his head to her. “We are never idle.”

You glanced again at Commander Faro and watched her shift in her seat slightly. It would appear that someone disagreed with her commanding officer. 

“And what about you, this appears to be a slower time for the ranch,” Thrawn said, returning the question to Rel.

“It is. The grass has grown enough that we can just set the herds to field, instead of having to constantly provide hay in the winter months. But this is a time for maintenance for us as well. We have to make sure the fencelines are all secure and the barns are ready to handle the big herds that will ship in soon. We,” she reached to take your hand, which you gladly reciprocated, “take this as down time, to rest or go offworld for holiday. The rest of the year things move quickly. It’s good, I enjoy it, but, oddly, the storms bring a kind of peace. We all have to sit back and let nature have her due.”

“Hear, hear,” you said, taking a sip of your drink. “It’s my favorite time of year.”

“Did we interrupt a planned holiday?” Commander Vanto asked, a slight bit of concern in his voice. 

“No, not at all.” You looked at Rel, “we didn’t really have anything planned this year.” Which was odd. You realized you hadn’t even thought about leaving the ranch. You flashed a smile. “Guess that means you have to put up with us.” 

“And you with us,” Commander Vanto replied. 

“Alas,” you chuckled, “tis our lot in life.” This garnered laughter from several and you were glad your words were seen as humor. 

After a moment most returned to their food and smaller conversations broke out around you. It settled into a time of quieter discussion occasionally punctuated by laughter. As the food disappeared from the serving platters the conversations grew a little louder and formalities were set further to the side. Laughter was more common and people were engaging across the table. You sat back and watched for a bit. It was pleasant. The people around you were just people. Well, one of them continued to stand out to you just a little bit more.

Thrawn occasionally joined a conversation, but he mostly observed. You wondered if he noticed how much the room would quiet to hear him speak. You weren't sure if it was out of respect for their commanding officer or that he rarely spoke candidly, so his crew would take any chance to see further into the mystery that was a two meter tall, stoic, blue man whose mind never stopped turning. 

On one of the times you glanced his way he met your eyes. And you both just sort of looked at each other. It was oddly pleasant. You didn't feel the need to speak and just studied him as he did you. A bout of laughter broke out and you glanced to see the smiles and how at ease they were. When you glanced back at him you inclined your head ever so slightly, remembering your conversation from before about good food and laughter. 

He studied the room a moment before coming back to you and returned the slight head movement in agreement, or at least acquiescence. 

Then your attention wandered. A slight bit of mischievousness brushed your awareness and you turned to Commander Vanto just in time to see him gesturing to Rel. He was trying to point out something about Thrawn, but froze mid-motion as your eyes met. You settled a more predatory gaze on him, wrapping your fingers together and settling your chin on them. A smile tried to tease at the corner of his mouth, but he fought it valiantly. Your gaze shifted to Rel who was also frozen in her lean across the table towards the Commander. 

"Is everything alright, Commander Vanto?" Apparently Thrawn had noticed as well. You watched the two realize both of your attention was on them and could almost visibly see the curse words form in their brains. 

"Um, yes, Admiral, everything is fine. I was just assisting Miss Devora with a small mystery."

"Oh?" Curiosity tinged Thrawn's voice. 

"Yes," Rel picked up the conversation, "I was just-" 

And then you saw it, the slightest smudge of white at the top corner of Thrawn's coat. It was all the evidence they needed. The real question was, would they use it. 

Rel let her attention shift to you briefly and you knew, she knew, you knew. You had been together too long to not be able to read each other. But, what would she say? Your own smile faltered ever so briefly. 

She managed to keep the tone of victory out of her voice, mostly “- the biscuits were excellent this evening and I just wanted to pass along my appreciation to any who may have helped. I had heard your crew assisted with the meal prep, but was uncertain who had taken up the challenge of the delicate recipe.”

“Ah. I had an excellent instructor. But if I may ask, what led you to believe it to be me?”

Commander Vanto touched the collar of his own coat to indicate location and Thrawn nodded in understanding, his hand going to the spot briefly. 

"I was warned of the persistent nature of the ingredients."

Rel nodded. "It certainly can get everywhere. But if that is the worst of it, I commend your efforts to stay clean."

To that he merely inclined his head. As his hand drifted back down it paused briefly at his chest. You didn't dare look all the way up. Your cheeks warmed. _What the kriff?_

Rel's hand gave yours a supportive squeeze and she brought it to her lips for a kiss. The action only caused the red in your cheeks to deepen, but you could at least look at her and it gave a far more reasonable excuse for your blush. 

_"I've got you,"_ her voice came to your mind, more supportive than playful.

_"I'll hold you to that, miss detective."_

"Well," Rel looked over the group across from her, "you have an early start tomorrow and we have some cleaning to do." 

Thrawn held up a hand. "We will assist, I will not take an argument against." Then he stood and began to direct those around him.

Again Je'ors gave you a suspicious smile and rose to join those cleaning. "Alright, I certainly won't refuse the help, but let me show you where it all goes." 

The tables quickly emptied until it was just you, Rel, and Commander Vanto. For a few moments all anyone seemed inclined to do was share glances. Finally the Commander stood and gave a small bow to you both. He tipped an imaginary hat to you. "Just making biscuits, huh?" 

As he walked away the red returned to your cheeks and you sunk a little further into your chair. 

"What is going on?" Rel asked with a soft playfulness.

"Kriff, I don't know. We," you met her eyes, "really did just make biscuits. And yes, he barely got a damn speck of flour on him. I'm not convinced he's not some kind of advanced droid."

She studied you for a moment. You could almost see the thought of 'what am I going to do with you,' form in her mind. But it wasn't mean spirited. And finally she just sighed. 

"Come on." She stood and pulled at the hand she was still holding. You went with the motion, expecting her to begin to lead you from the room. Instead she pulled you in for a kiss. Her lips were warm, her skin soft. Her arms wrapped around you pulling you closer. She wasn't normally so bold and you found your heart beginning to pick up pace.

When you finally broke the kiss you looked at her. "What was that for?"

"You're cute when you blush."

"I-"

"And when you get flustered."

A small bit of hesitation began to creep in. "It really was just biscuits." You began to insist again. "I-"

"Stop" she said softly, her hand going to your cheek. "I want to be clear. He could bend you over this table and as long as you're having fun, and being safe, I would cheer him on."

A look of true mortification hit your face. "What in the ev-."

"And that's OK," she continued. "You taught me that joy should be embraced. You." She emphasized. "So I want to make sure, if it is something you want to pursue, that you know I love you and support you."

_"He's an Admiral in the Imperial Navy."_ You mentally enunciated every word to her mind. 

_"I've been checking minds, just to be safe, and his people respect him. Commander Vanto is actually quite fond of him. He seems fair and is regarded as exceptionally intelligent by pretty much all of them."_

You just shook your head. _"OK, maybe I find him attractive, but I do not plan on following through.”_ “I just,” you sighed, "can't."

"And that's fine. Look, you keep telling me life is what we make it. So," she took your face in her hands again, "I want to live, here, now, with you, and," she drew even closer, practically pressing her body against yours. Her voice came as a whisper to your ear "if that means I get you all to myself, I'll take that too." And she kissed you again. Desire rode down the link you two shared. 

Heat began to gather in you and you could feel your pulse in one particular region that was a good deal lower than your chest. Then the Force gave a warning of proximity a second before Admiral Thrawn and Commander Vanto came back into the room from the kitchen. Both immediately paused as you did your best to pull back from Rel enough to be presentable. Based on the look on their faces, well more the look on the Commander's face, you were certain you failed and that the sense that you and Rel were about five minutes from kriffing was ridiculously apparent. 

You cleared your throat. A sound that seemed loud in the space. "Is there something we can do for you, Admiral? Commander?" You did your best to throw on some kind of air of professionalism. 

"We," Admiral Thrawn also cleared his throat, "will be done soon and I had just wanted to thank you again for the meal and hospitality.” 

"Yes, of course."

Rel leaned in just as you finished speaking to whisper "Bent. Over. A. Table."

You froze. With him standing there the image of such a situation came to you. You cleared your mind quickly, but it was enough. "OK, we're done."

You turned, dropped low, caught her midsection with your shoulder and then pushed back up and through, dragging her off her feet and over your shoulder. She let out an adorable yip and then began to laugh. You used a small bit of Force to stabilize both her and your balance and then began to walk towards the exit. 

"Gentlemen," you called back as you gave a wave to the two still standing there. 

"I win!" was her last exclamation as you turned and left the room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next Chapter will be smut! 
> 
> Also, the biscuit scene and 'happy people at a home-style dinner' is where this whole fic was born. Back in November I'd just been running ficlets through my brain of different scenarios with Thrawn and was so taken by the food prep and the 'warmth of sharing food across a table' moment/image that I started to invest more mental energy into it. I even went home that day and made biscuits for my own dinner. They were the best one's I've ever made, so it clearly was a sign to give this story life. I am really happy with how this whole scene turned out and am a little surprised by how things are developing. I had only intended the reader to find Thrawn attractive and at some point make with the smut. But here they are, being cute and impressing each other, ugg, what am I going to do with them? 
> 
> I hope this chapter made you smile, thank you for reading!


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